JRDFD   AND  TfcANSLAT" » 


Frank   Hamilton  Gushing 


ZUNI   FOLK  TALES 


RECORDED  AND  TRANSLATED  BY 

FRANK   HAMILTON  CUSHING 


WITH  AN  INTRODUCTION  BY 

J.  W.  POWELL 


TENATSALl 


NEW 

G.  P.  PUTNAM'S  SONS 

Gbe  "Rntcfeerbocfcer  press 

1901 


COPYRIGHT,  igoi 

BY 
EMILY  T.  M.  GUSHING 


9  i 


TTbe  imfcfcerbocfter  press,  mew  flotft 


LIST  OF  TALES 


PAGE 

THE  TRIAL  OF  LOVERS  :  OR  THE  MAIDEN  OF  MATSAKI  AND  THE 

RED  FEATHER i 

THE  YOUTH  AND  HIS  EAGLE 34 

THE  POOR  TURKEY  GIRL  . 54 

How  THE  SUMMER  BIRDS  CAME 65 

THE  SERPENT  OF  THE  SEA 93 

THE  MAIDEN  OF  THE  YELLOW  ROCKS 104 

THE  FOSTER-CHILD  OF  THE  DEER  .......  132 

THE  BOY  HUNTER  WHO  NEVER  SACRIFICED  TO  THE  DEER  HE 

HAD  SLAIN  :  OR  THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  SOCIETY  OF  RATTLESNAKES  150 
How  AHAIYUTA  AND  MATSAILEMA  STOLE  THE  THUNDER-STONE 

AND  THE  LIGHTNING-SHAFT       .        .        .        .        .        .        .175 

THE  WARRIOR  SUITOR  OF  MOKI     .......  185 

How  THE  COYOTE  JOINED  THE  DANCE  OF  THE  BURROWING-OWLS  203 
THE  COYOTE  WHO  KILLED  THE  DEMON  SIUIUKI  :  OR  WHY  COYOTES 

RUN  THEIR  NOSES  INTO  DEADFALLS  .         .         .         .         .         .215 

How  THE  COYOTES  TRIED  TO  STEAL  THE  CHILDREN  OF  THE 

SACRED  DANCE  . 229 

THE  COYOTE  AND  THE  BEETLE 235 

How  THE  COYOTE  DANCED  WITH  THE  BLACKBIRDS        .         .        .  237 

How  THE  TURTLE  OUT  HUNTING  DUPED  THE  COYOTE  .        .        .  243 
THE  COYOTE  AND  THE  LOCUST       .        .        .        .        .        .        .255 

THE  COYOTE  AND  THE  RAVENS  WHO  RACED  THEIR  EYES  .  .  262 

THE  PRAIRIE-DOGS  AND  THEIR  PRIEST,  THE  BURROWING-OWL  .  269 

How  THE  GOPHER  RACED  WITH  THE  RUNNERS  OF  K'lAKiME  .  277 

How  THE  RATTLESNAKES  CAME  TO  BE  WHAT  THEY  ARE  .  .  285 

How  THE  CORN-PESTS  WERE  ENSNARED  .....  288 

JACK-RABBIT  AND  COTTONTAIL 296 

THE  RABBIT  HUNTRESS  AND  HER  ADVENTURES  ....  297 

iii 


92383 


iv  List  of  Tales 

PAGE 

THE  UGLY  WILD  BOY  WHO  DROVE  THE  BEAR  AWAY  FROM  SOUTH 
EASTERN  MESA   .         .        .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .310 

THE  REVENGE  OF  THE  Two  BROTHERS  ON  THE  HAWIKUHKWE, 

OR  THE  Two  LITTLE  ONES  AND  THEIR  TURKEYS      .       .        .317 
THE  YOUNG  SWIFT-RUNNER  WHO  WAS   STRIPPED  OF  HIS  CLOTH 
ING  BY  THE  AGED  TARANTULA 345 

ATAHSAIA,  THE  CANNIBAL  DEMON   .......     365 

THE  HERMIT  MITSINA 385 

How  THE  TWINS  OF  WAR  AND  CHANCE,  AHAIYUTA  AND  MA"TSAI-    % 

LEMA,    FARED    WITH   THE    UNBORN-MADE    MEN  OF  THE    UNDER 
WORLD  398 

THE  COCK  AND  THE  MOUSE    .        .        .        .        .        .        .        .411 

THE  GIANT  CLOUD-SWALLOWER      .......     423 

THE  MAIDEN  THE  SUN  MADE  LOVE  TO,  AND  HER  BOYS  :  OR  THE 

ORIGIN  OF  ANGER 429 


LIST  OF  PLATES 

PAGE 

PORTRAIT  OF  FRANK  HAMILTON  GUSHING.    Frontispiece 

THE  YOUTH  AND  HIS  EAGLE 34 

ZUNI  FROM  THE  SOUTH 64 

WAIHUSIWA 92 

A  BURRO  TRAIN  IN  A  ZUNI  STREET.        .  132 
THUNDER  MOUNTAIN  FROM  ZUNI  .         .         .         .         .174 

A    HOPI  (MOKl)  MAIDEN             ......  184 

A  DANCE  OF  THE  KAKA 228 

ACROSS  THE  TERRACES  OF  ZUNI 276 

THE  PINNACLES  OF  THUNDER  MOUNTAIN       .         .         .  344 

PALOWAHTIWA      . 388 

ZUNI  WOMEN  CARRYING  WATER     .....  428 


INTRODUCTION 

IT  is  instructive  to  compare  superstition  with 
science.  Mythology  is  the  term  used  to  desig 
nate  the  superstitions  of  the  ancients.  Folk-lore  is 
the  term  used  to  designate  the  superstitions  of  the 
ignorant  of  today.  Ancient  mythology  has  been 
carefully  studied  by  modern  thinkers  for  purposes 
of  trope  and  simile  in  the  embellishment  of  litera 
ture,  and  especially  of  poetry  ;  then  it  has  been 
investigated  for  the  purpose  of  discovering  its 
meaning  in  the  hope  that  some  occult  significance 
might  be  found,  on  the  theory  that  the  wisdom  of 
the  ancients  was  far  superior  to  that  of  modern 
men.  Now,  science  has  entered  this  field  of  study 
to  compare  one  mythology  with  another,  and  pre 
eminently  to  compare  mythology  with  science 
itself,  for  the  purpose  of  discovering  stages  of  hu 
man  opinion. 

When  the  mythology  of  tribal  men  came  to  be 
studied,  it  was  found  that  their  philosophy  was  also 
a  mythology  in  which  the  mysteries  of  the  universe 
were  explained  in  a  collection  of  tales  told  by  wise 
men,  prophets,  and  priests.  This  lore  of  the  wise 
among  savage  men  is  of  the  same  origin  and  has 
the  same  significance  as  the  lore  of  Hesiod  and 
Homer.  It  is  thus  a  mythology  in  the  early  sense 
of  that  term.  But  the  mythology  of  tribal  men  is 
devoid  of  that  glamour  and  witchery  born  of  poetry  ; 
hence  it  seems  rude  and  savage  in  comparison,  for 


viii  Introduction 

example,  with  the  mythology  of  the  Odyssey,  and 
to  rank  no  higher  as  philosophic  thought  than  the 
tales  of  the  ignorant  and  superstitious  which  are 
called  folk-lore  ;  and  gradually  such  mythology  has 
come  to  be  called  folk-lore.  Folk-lore  is  a  dis 
credited  mythology — a  mythology  once  held  as  a 
philosophy.  Nowadays  the  tales  of  savage  men, 
not  being  credited  by  civilized  and  enlightened  men 
with  that  wisdom  which  is  held  to  belong  to  phi 
losophy,  are  called  folk-lore,  or  sometimes  folk-tales. 

The  folk-tales  collected  by  Mr.  Gushing  constitute 
a  charming  exhibit  of  the  wisdom  of  the  Zunis  as 
they  believe,  though  it  may  be  but  a  charming  ex 
hibit  of  the  follies  of  the  Zunis  as  we  believe. 

The  wisdom  of  one  age  is  the  folly  of  the  next, 
and  the  opinions  of  tribal  men  seem  childish  to 
civilized  men.  Then  why  should  we  seek  to  dis 
cover  their  thoughts  ?  Science,  in  seeking  to  know 
the  truth  about  the  universe,  does  not  expect  to 
find  it  in  mythology  or  folk-lore,  does  not  even 
consider  it  as  a  paramount  end  that  it  should  be 
used  as  an  embellishment  of  literature,  though  it 
serves  this  purpose  well.  Modern  science  now 
considers  it  of  profound  importance  to  know  the 
course  of  the  evolution  of  the  humanities  ;  that  is, 
the  evolution  of  pleasures,  the  evolution  of  indus 
tries,  the  evolution  of  institutions,  the  evolution  of 
languages,  and,  finally,  the  evolution  of  opinions. 
How  opinions  grow  seems  to  be  one  of  the  most 
instructive  chapters  in  the  science  of  psychology. 
Psychologists  do  not  go  to  the  past  to  find  valid 
opinions,  but  to  find  stages  of  development  in 


Introduction  ix 

opinions  ;  hence  mythology  or  folk-lore  is  of  pro 
found  interest  and  supreme  importance. 

Under  the  scriptorial  wand  of  Gushing  the  folk 
tales  of  the  Zunis  are  destined  to  become  a  part  of 
the  living  literature  of  the  world,  for  he  is  a  poet 
although  he  does  not  write  in  verse.  Gushing  can 
think  as  myth-makers  think,  he  can  speak  as  proph 
ets  speak,  he  can  expound  as  priests  expound, 
and  his  tales  have  the  verisimilitude  of  ancient 
lore  ;  but  his  sympathy  with  the  mythology  of  tribal 
men  does  not  veil  the  realities  of  science  from  his 
mind. 

The  gods  of  Zuni,  like  those  of  all  primitive 
people,  are  the  ancients  of  animals,  but  we  must 
understand  and  heartily  appreciate  their  simple 
thought  if  we  would  do  them  justice.  All  entities 
are  animals  —  men,  brutes,  plants,  stars,  lands, 
waters,  and  rocks — and  all  have  souls.  The  souls 
are  tenuous  existences — mist  entities,  gaseous  crea 
tures  inhabiting  firmer  bodies  of  matter.  They 
are  ghosts  that  own  bodies.  They  can  leave  their 
bodies,,  or  if  they  discover  bodies  that  have  been 
vacated  they  can  take  possession  of  them.  Force 
and  mind  belong  to  souls ;  fixed  form,  firm  exist 
ence  belong  to  matter,  while  bodies  and  souls 
constitute  the  world.  The  world  is  a  universe 
of  animals.  The  stars  are  animals  compelled  to 
travel  around  the  world  by  magic.  The  plants  are 
animals  under  a  spell  of  enchantment,  so  that  usu 
ally  they  cannot  travel.  The  waters  are  animals 
sometimes  under  the  spell  of  enchantment.  Lakes 
writhe  in  waves,  the  sea  travels  in  circles  about  the 


x  Introduction 

earth,  and  the  streams  run  over  the  lands.  Moun 
tains  and  hills  tremble  in  pain,  but  cannot  wander 
about ;  but  rocks  and  hills  and  mountains  some 
times  travel  about  by  night. 

These  animals  of  the  world  come  in  a  flood  of 
generations,  and  the  first-born  are  gods  and  are 
usually  called  the  ancients,  or  the  first  ones  ;  the 
later-born  generations  are  descendants  of  the  gods, 
but  alas,  they  are  degenerate  sons. 

The  theatre  of  the  world  is  the  theatre  of  necro 
mancy,  and  the  gods  are  the  primeval  wonder 
workers  ;  the  gods  still  live,  but  their  descendants 
often  die.  Death  itself  is  the  result  of  necromancy 
practiced  by  bad  men  or  angry  gods. 

In  every  Amerindian  language  there  is  a  term 
to  express  this  magical  power.  Among  the  Iro- 
quoian  tribes  it  is  called  orenda  ;  among  the  Siouan 
tribe  some  manifestations  of  it  are  called  wakan  or 
wakanda,  but  the  generic  term  in  this  language  is 
hube.  Among  the  Shoshonean  tribes  it  is  called 
pokunt.  Let  us  borrow  one  of  these  terms  and 
call  it  "orenda."  All  unexplained  phenomena  are 
attributed  to  orenda.  Thus  the  venom  of  the  ser 
pent  is  orenda,  and  this  orenda  can  pass  from  a 
serpent  to  an  arrow  by  another  exercise  of  orenda, 
and  hence  the  arrow  is  charmed.  The  rattle-snake 
may  be  stretched  beside  the  arrow,  and  an  invoca 
tion  may  be  performed  that  will  convey  the  orenda 
from  the  snake  to  the  arrow,  or  the  serpent  may 
be  made  into  a  witch's  stew  and  the  arrow  dipped 
into  the  brew. 

No   man  has   contributed    more   to  our  under- 


Introduction  xi 

standing  of  the  doctrine  of  orenda  as  believed  and 
practised  by  the  Amerindian  tribes  than  Gushing 
himself.  In  other  publications  he  has  elaborately 
discussed  this  doctrine,  and  in  his  lectures  he  was 
wont  to  show  how  forms  and  decorations  of  imple 
ments  and  utensils  have  orenda  for  their  motive. 

When  one  of  the  ancients — that  is,  one  of  the 
gods — of  the  Iroquois  was  planning  the  streams  of 
earth  by  his  orenda  or  magical  power,  he  deter 
mined  to  have  them  run  up  one  side  and  down  the 
other ;  if  he  had  done  this  men  could  float  up  or 
down  at  will,  by  passing  from  one  side  to  the  other 
of  the  river,  but  his  wicked  brother  interfered  and 
made  them  run  down  on  both  sides  ;  so  orenda  may 
thwart  orenda. 

The  bird  that  sings  is  universally  held  by  tri 
bal  men  to  be  exercising  its  orenda.  And  when 
human  beings  sing  they  also  exercise  orenda ;  hence 
song  is  a  universal  accompaniment  of  Amerindian 
worship.  All  their  worship  is  thus  fundamentally 
terpsichorean,  for  it  is  supposed  that  they  can  be 
induced  to  grant  favors  by  pleasing  them. 

All  diseases  and  ailments  of  mankind  are  at 
tributed  by  tribal  men  to  orenda,  and  all  mythology 
is  a  theory  of  magic.  Yet  many  of  the  tribes,  per 
haps  all  of  them,  teach  in  their  tales  of  some  method 
of  introducing  death  and  disease  into  the  world,  but 
it  is  a  method  by  which  supernatural  agencies  can 
cause  sickness  and  death. 

The  prophets,  who  are  also  priests,  wonder 
workers,  and  medicine-men,  are  called  shamans  in 
scientific  literature.  In  popular  literature  and  in 


xii  Introduction 

frontier  parlance  they  are  usually  called  medicine 
men.  Shamans  are  usually  initiated  into  the  guild, 
and  frequently  there  are  elaborate  tribal  cere 
monies  for  the  purpose.  Often  individuals  have 
revelations  and  set  up  to  prophesy,  to  expel  dis 
eases,  and  to  teach  as  priests.  If  they  gain  a  fol 
lowing  they  may  ultimately  exert  much  influence 
and  be  greatly  revered,  but  if  they  fail  they  may 
gradually  be  looked  upon  as  wizards  or  witches, 
and  they  may  be  accused  of  black  art,  and  in  ex 
treme  cases  may  be  put  to  death.  All  Amerin 
dians  believe  in  shamancraft  and  witchcraft. 

The  myths  of  cosmology  are  usually  called  crea 
tion  myths.  Sometimes  all  myths  which  account 
for  things,  even  the  most  trivial,  are  called  creation 
myths.  Every  striking  phenomenon  observed  by 
the  Amerind  has  a  myth  designed  to  account  for 
its  origin.  The  horn  of  the  buffalo,  the  tawny 
patch  on  the  shoulders  of  the  rabbit,  the  crest  of 
the  blue-jay,  the  tail  of  the  magpie,  the  sheen  of 
the  chameleon,  the  rattle  of  the  snake, — in  fact, 
everything  that  challenges  attention  gives  rise  to  a 
myth.  Thus  the  folk-tales  of  the  Amerinds  seem 
to  be  inexhaustible,  for  in  every  language,  and 
•there  are  hundreds  of  them,  a  different  set  of  myths 
is  found. 

In  all  of  these  languages  a  strange  similarity 
in  cosmology  is  observed,  in  that  it  is  a  cosmology 
of  regions  or  worlds.  About  the  home  world  of 
the  tribe  there  is  gathered  a  group  of  worlds,  one 
above,  another  below,  and  four  more  :  one  at  every 
cardinal  point  ;  or  we  may  describe  it  as  a  central 


7 


Introduction  xiii 

world,  an  upper  world,  a  lower  world,  a  northern 
world,  a  southern  world,  an  eastern  world,  and  a 
western  world.  All  of  the  animals  of  the  tribes,  be 
they  human  animals,  tree  animals,  star  animals, 
water  animals  (that  is,  bodies  of  water),  or  stone  ani 
mals  (that  is,  mountains,  hills,  valleys,  and  rocks), 
have  an  appropriate  habitation  in  the  zenith  world, 
the  nadir  world,  or  in  one  of  the  cardinal  worlds,  and 
their  dwelling  in  the  center  world  is  accounted  for 
by  some  myth  of  travel  to  this  world.  All  bodies 
and  all  attributes  of  bodies  have  a  home  or  proper 
place  of  habitation  ;  even  the  colors  of  the  clouds 
and  the  rainbow  and  of  all  other  objects  on  earth 
are  assigned  to  the  six  regions  from  which  they 
come  to  the  midworld. 

We  may  better  understand  this  habit  of  thought 
by  considering  the  folk-lore  of  civilization.  Here 
are  but  three  regions  :  heaven,  earth,  and  hell. 
All  good  things  come  from  heaven  ;  and  all  bad 
things  from  hell.  It  is  true  that  this  cosmology  is 
not  entertained  by  scholarly  people.  An  enlight 
ened  man  thinks  of  moral  good  as  a  state  of  mind 
in  the  individual,  an  attribute  of  his  soul,  and  a 
moral  evil  as  the  characteristic  of  an  immoral  man  ; 
but  still  it  is  practically  universal  for  even  the  most 
intelligent  to  affirm  by  a  figure  of  speech  that 
heaven  is  the  place  of  good,  and  hell  the  place  of 
evil.  Now,  enlarge  this  conception  so  as  to  assign 
a  place  as  the  proper  region  for  all  bodies  and 
attributes,  and  you  will  understand  the  cosmo- 
logical  concepts  of  the  Amerinds. 

The    primitive    religion    of    every    Amerindian 


xiv  Introduction 

tribe  is  an  organized  system  of  inducing  the 
ancients  to  take  part  in  the  affairs  of  men,  and  the 
worship  of  the  gods  is  a  system  designed  to  please 
the  gods,  that  they  may  be  induced  to  act  for  men, 
particularly  the  tribe  of  men  who  are  the  wor 
shipers.  Time  would  fail  me  to  tell  of  the  multi 
tude  of  activities  in  tribal  life  designed  for  this 
purpose,  but  a  few  of  them  may  be  mentioned. 
The  first  and  most  important  of  all  are  terpsichorean 
ceremonies  and  festivals.  Singing  and  dancing 
are  universal,  and  festivals  are  given  at  appointed 
times  and  places  by  every  tribe.  The  long  nights 
of  winter  are  devoted  largely  to  worship,  and  a 
succession  of  festival  days  are  established,  to  be 
held  at  appropriate  seasons  for  the  worship  of  the 
gods.  Thus  there  are  festival  days  for  invoking 
rain,  there  are  festival  days  for  thanksgiving — for 
harvest  homes.  In  lands  where  the  grasshopper  is 
an  important  food  there  are  grasshopper  festivals. 
In  lands  where  corn  is  an  important  food  there  are 
green-corn  festivals ;  where  the  buffalo  constituted 
an  important  part  of  their  aliment  there  were 
buffalo  dances.  So  there  is  a  bear  dance  or  festi 
val,  and  elk  dance  or  festival,  and  a  multitude  of 
other  festivals  as  we  go  from  tribe  to  tribe,  all  of 
which  are  fixed  at  times  indicated  by  signs  of  the 
zodiac.  In  the  higher  tribes  elaborate  calendars 
are  devised  from  which  we  unravel  their  picture- 
writings. 

The  practice  of  medicine  by  the  shamans  is  an 
invocation  to  the  gods  to  drive  out  evil  spirits  from 
the  sick  and  to  frighten  them  that  they  may  leave. 


Introduction  xv 

By  music  and  dancing  they  obtain  the  help  of  the 
ancients,  and  by  a  great  variety  of  methods 
they  drive  out  the  evil  beings.  Resort  is  often 
had  to  scarifying  and  searing,  especially  when  the 
sick  man  has  great  local  pains.  All  American 
tribes  entertain  a  profound  belief  in  the  doctrine 
of  signatures, — similia,  similibus  curantur, — and 
they  use  this  belief  in  procuring  charms  as  medi 
cine  to  drive  out  the  ghostly  diseases  that  plague 
their  sick  folk. 

Next  in  importance  to  terpsichorean  worship  is 
altar  worship.  The  altar  is  a  space  cleared  upon 
the  ground,  or  a  platform  raised  from  the  ground 
or  floor  of  the  kiva  or  assembly-house  of  the 
people.  Around  the  altar  are  gathered  the  priests 
and  their  acolytes,  and  here  they  make  prayers  and 
perform  ceremonies  with  the  aid  of  altar-pieces  of 
various  kinds,  especially  tablets  of  picture-writings 
on  wood,  bone,  or  the  skins  of  animals.  The  altar- 
pieces  consist  of  representatives  of  the  thing  for 
which  supplication  is  made  :  ears  of  corn  or  vases 
of  meal,  ewers  of  water,  parts  of  animals  designed 
for  food,  cakes  of  grasshoppers,  basins  of  honey, 
in  fine  any  kind  of  food  ;  then  crystals  or  frag 
ments  of  rock  to  signify  that  they  desire  the  corn 
to  be  "hard,  or  of  honeydew  that  they  desire  the 
corn  to  be  sweet,  or  of  corn  of  different  colors  that 
they  desire  the  corn  to  be  of  a  variety  of  colors. 
That  which  is  of  great  interest  to  students  of  eth 
nology  is  the  system  of  picture-writing  exhibited 
on  the  altars.  In  this  a  great  variety  of  things 
which  they  desire  and  a  great  variety  of  the 


xvi  Introduction 

characteristics  of  these  things  are  represented  in 
pictographs,  or  modeled  in  clay,  or  carved  from 
wood  and  bone.  The  graphic  art,  as  painting  and 
sculpture,  has  its  origin  with  tribal  men  in  the  de 
velopment  of  altar-pieces.  So  also  the  drama  is 
derived  from  primeval  worship,  as  the  modern 
practice  of  medicine  has  been  evolved  from 
necromancy. 

There  is  another  method  of  worship  found  in 
savagery,  but  more  highly  developed  in  barbarism, 
—the  worship  of  sacrifice.  The  altar-pieces  and 
the  dramatic  supplications  of  the  lower  stage 
gradually  develop  into  a  sacrificial  stage  in  the 
higher  culture.  Then  the  objects  are  supposed  to 
supply  the  ancients  themselves  with  food  and  drink 
and  the  pleasures  of  life.  This  stage  was  most 
highly  developed  in  Mexico,  especially  by  the 
Nahua  or  Aztec,  where  human  beings  were  sacri 
ficed.  In  general,  among  the  Amerinds,  not  only 
are  sacrifices  made  on  the  altar,  but  they  are  also 
made  whenever  food  or  drink  is  used.  Thus  the 
first  portions  of  objects  designed  for  consumption 
are  dedicated  to  the  gods.  There  are  in  America 
many  examples  of  these  pagan  religions,  to  a  greater 
or  less  extent  affiliated  in  doctrine  and  in  worship 
with  the  religion  of  Christian  origin. 

In  the  early  history  of  the  association  of  white 
men  with  the  Seneca  of  New  York  and  Pennsyl 
vania,  there  was  in  the  tribe  a  celebrated  shaman 
named  Handsome  Lake,  as  his  Indian  name  is 
translated  into  English.  Handsome  Lake  had  a 
nephew  who  was  taken  by  the  Spaniards  to  Europe 


Introduction  xvii 

and  educated  as  a  priest.  The  nephew,  on  his  re 
turn  to  America,  told  many  Bible  stories  to  his 
uncle,  for  he  speedily  relapsed  into  paganism.  The 
uncle  compounded  some  of  these  Bible  stories  with 
Seneca  folk-tales,  and  through  his  eloquence  and 
great  influence  as  a  shaman  succeeded  in  establish 
ing  among  the  Seneca  a  new  cult  of  doctrine  and 
worship.  The  Seneca  are  now  divided  into  two  very 
distinct  bodies  who  live  together  on  the  same  reser 
vation, — the  one  are  "  Christians,"  the  other  are 
"  Pagans  "  who  believe  and  teach  the  cult  of  Hand 
some  Lake. 

Mr.  Gushing  has  introduced  a  hybrid  tale  into 
his  collection,  entitled  "  The  Cock  and  the  Mouse." 
Such  tales  are  found  again  and  again  among  the 
Amerinds.  In  a  large  majority  of  cases  Bible 
stories  are  compounded  with  native  stories,  so  that 
unwary  people  have  been  led  to  believe  that  the 
Amerinds  are  descendants  of  the  lost  tribes  of 
Israel. 

J.  W.  POWELL. 

WASHINGTON  CITY, 
November,  1901. 


ZUNI  FOLK  TALES 


THE  TRIAL  OF  LOVERS:.:    ^ 

OR  THE  MAIDEN  OF  MATSAKI  AND  THE   RED  FEATHER 

( Told  the  First  Night) 

IN  the  days  of  the  ancients,  when  Matsaki  was  the 
home  of  the  children  of  men,  there  lived,  in  that 
town,  which  is  called  "  Salt  City,"  because  the  God 
dess  of  Salt  made  a  white  lake  there  in  the  days 
of  the  New,  a  beautiful  maiden.  She  was  passing 
beautiful,  and  the  daughter  of  the  priest-chief,  who 
owned  more  buckskins  and  blankets  than  he  could 
hang  on  his  poles,  and  whose  port-holes  were  cov 
ered  with  turquoises  and  precious  shells  from  the 
ocean — so  many  were  the  sacrifices  he  made  to  the 
gods.  ,His  house  was  the  largest  in  Matsaki,  and 
his  ladder-poles  were  tall  and  decorated  with  slabs  of 
carved  wood — which  you  know  was  a  great  thing, 
for  our  grandfathers  cut  with  the  tlmush  or  flint 
knife,  and  even  tilled  their  corn-fields  with  wooden 
hoes  sharpened  with  stone  and  weighted  with 
granite.  That 's  the  reason  why  all  the  young  men 
in  the  towns  round  about  were  in  love  with  the 
beautiful  maiden  of  Salt  City. 

Now,  there  was  one  very  fine  young  man  who 
lived  across  the  western  plains,  in  the  Pueblo  of  the 


2  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

Winds.  He  was  so  filled  with  thoughts  of  the 
maiden  of  Matsaki  that  he  labored  long  to  gather 
presents  for  her,  and  looked  not  with  favor  on  any 
girl  of  his  own  pueblo. 

One  morning  he  said  to  his  fathers  :  "  I  have 
seen  the  maiden  of  Matsaki ;  what  think  ye  ?  " 

"Be  it'.w^ll'/'  said  the  old  ones.  So  toward  night 
the  young  man  made  a  bundle  of  mantles  and  neck 
laces,  which  he  rolled  up  in  the  best  and  whitest 
buckskin  he  had.  When  the  sun  was  setting  he 
started  toward  Matsaki,  and  just  as  the  old  man's 
children  had  gathered  in  to  smoke  and  talk  he 
reached  the  house  of  the  maiden's  father  and 
climbed  the  ladder.  He  lifted  the  corner  of  the 
mat  door  and  shouted  to  the  people  below — "  Sh£ !  " 

"Haif"  answered  more  than  a  pair  of  voices 
from  below. 

"  Pull  me  down,"  cried  the  young  man,  at  the 
same  time  showing  his  bundle  through  the  sky- 
hole. 

The  maiden's  mother  rose  and  helped  the  young 
man  down  the  ladder,  and  as  he  entered  the  fire 
light  he  laid  the  bundle  down. 

"  My  fathers  and  mothers,  my  sisters  and  friends, 
how  be  ye  these  many  days  ?  "  said  he,  very  care 
fully,  as  though  he  were  speaking  to  a  council. 

"  Happy  !  Happy  !"  they  all  responded,  and  they 
said  also:  "Sit  down;  sit  down  on  this  stool," 
which  they  placed  for  him  in  the  fire-light. 

"  My  daughter,"  remarked  the  old  man,  who  was 
smoking  his  cigarette  by  the  opposite  side  of  the 
hearth-place,  "  when  a  stranger  enters  the  house  of 


The  Trial  of  Lovers  3 

a  stranger,  the  girl  should  place  before  him  food 
and  cooked  things."  So  the  girl  brought  from  the 
great  vessel  in  the  corner  fresh  rolls  of  htwe,  or 
bread  of  corn-flour,  thin  as  papers,  and  placed  them 
in  a  tray  before  the  young  man,  where  the  light 
would  fall  on  them. 

"  Eat ! "  said  she,  and  he  replied,  "  It  is  well." 
Whereupon  he  sat  up  very  straight,  and  placing  his 
left  hand  across  his  breast,  very  slowly  took  a  roll 
of  the  wafer  bread  with  his  right  hand  and  ate  ever 
so  little  ;  for  you  know  it  is  not  well  or  polite  to  eat 
much  when  you  go  to  see  a  strange  girl,  especially 
if  you  want  to  ask  her  if  she  will  let  you  live  in  the 
same  house  with  her.  So  the  young  man  ate  ever 
so  little,  and  said,  "  Thank  you." 

"  Eat  more,"  said  the  old  ones  ;  but  when  he  re 
plied  that  he  was  "  past  the  naming  of  want,"  they 
said,  "  Have  eaten,"  and  the  girl  carried  the  tray 
away  and  swept  away  the  crumbs. 

"Well,"  said  the  old  man,  after  a  short  time, 
"  when  a  stranger  enters  the  house  of  a  stranger,  it 
is  not  thinking  of  nothing  that  he  enters." 

"  Why,  that  is  quite  true,"  said  the  youth,  and 
then  he  waited. 

"  Then  what  may  it  be  that  thou  hast  come 
thinking  of  ?  "  added  the  old  man. 

"I  have  heard,"  said  the  young  man,  "of  your 
daughter,  and  have  seen  her,  and  it  was  -with 
thoughts  of  her  that  I  came." 

Just  then  the  grown-up  sons  of  the  old  man, 
who  had  come  to  smoke  and  chat,  rose  and  said  to 
one  another :  "  Is  it  not  about  time  we  should  be 


• 


4  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

going  home?  The  stars  must  be  all  out."  Thus 
saying,  they  bade  the  old  ones  to  "wait  happily 
until  the  morning,"  and  shook  hands  with  the  young 
man  who  had  come,  and  went  to  the  homes  of  their 
wives'  mothers. 

"  Listen,  my  child  ! "  said  the  old  man  after  they 
had  gone  away,  turning  toward  his  daughter,  who 
was  sitting  near  the  wall  and  looking  down  at  the 
beads  on  her  belt  fringe.  "  Listen  !  You  have 
heard  what  the  young  man  has  said.  What  think 
you?" 

"  Why  !  I  know  not ;  but  what  should  I  say  but 
1  Be  it  well,' "  said  the  girl,  "  if  thus  think  my  old 
ones?" 

"  As  you  may,"  said  the  old  man ;  and  then  he 
made  a  cigarette  and  smoked  with  the  young  man. 
When  he  had  thrown  away  his  cigarette  he  said  to 
the  mother  :  "  Old  one,  is  it  not  time  to  stretch  out  ?" 

So  when  the  old  ones  were  asleep  in  the  corner, 
the  girl  said  to  the  youth,  but  in  a  low  voice  :  "  Only 
possibly  you  love  me.  True,  I  have  said  *  Be  it 
well '  ;  but  before  I  take  your  bundle  and  say 
'thanks,'  I  would  that  you,  to  prove  that  you 
verily  love  me,  should  go  down  into  my  corn-field, 
among  the  lands  of  the  priest-chief,  by  the  side  of 
the  river,  and  hoe  all  the  corn  in  a  single  morning. 
If  you  will  do  this,  then  shall  I  know  you  love  me  ; 
then  shall  I  take  of  your  presents,  and  happy  we 
will  be  together." 

"  Very  well,"  replied  the  young  man  ;  "  I  am 
willing." 

Then  the  young  girl  lighted  a  bundle  of  cedar 


The  Trial  of  Lovers  5 

splints  and  showed  him  a  room  which  contained  a 
bed  of  soft  robes  and  blankets,  and,  placing  her 
father's  hoe  near  the  door,  bade  the  young  man 
"  wait  happily  unto  the  morning." 

So  when  she  had  gone  he  looked  at  the  hoe  and 
thought :  "  Ha !  if  that  be  all,  she  shall  see  in  the 
morning  that  I  am  a  man." 

At  the  peep  of  day  over  the  eastern  mesa  he 
roused  himself,  and,  shouldering  the  wooden  hoe, 
ran  down  to  the  corn-fields ;  and  when,  as  the  sun 
was  coming  out,  the  young  girl  awoke  and  looked 
down  from  her  house-top,  "Aha!"  thought  she, 
"  he  is  doing  well,  but  my  children  and  I  shall  see 
how  he  gets  on  somewhat  later.  I  doubt  if  he 
loves  me  as  much  as  he  thinks  he  does." 

So  she  went  into  a  closed  room.  Down  in  the 
corner  stood  a  water  jar,  beautifully  painted  and 
as  bright  as  new.  It  looked  like  other  water  jars, 
but  it  was  not.  It  was  wonderful,  wonderful  !  for 
it  was  covered  with  a  stone  lid  which  held  down 
many  may-flies  and  gnats  and  mosquitoes.  The 
maiden  lifted  the  lid  and  began  to  speak  to  the 
little  animals  as  though  she  were  praying. 

"  Now,  then,  my  children,  this  day  fly  ye  forth 
all,  and  in  the  corn-fields  by  the  river  there  shall  ye 
see  a  young  man  hoeing.  So  hard  is  he  working 
that  he  is  stripped  as  for  a  race.  Go  forth  and 
seek  him." 

"  Tsu-nu-nu-nu"  said  the  flies,  and  "  Tsi-ni-ni-ni? 
sang  the  gnats  and  mosquitoes ;  which  meant 
"  Yes,"  you  know. 

"  And,"  further  said  the  girl,  "when  ye  find  him, 


6  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

bite  him,  his  body  all  over,  and  eat  ye  freely  of  his 
blood  ;  spare  not  his  armpits,  neither  his  neck  nor 
his  eyelids,  and  fill  his  ears  with  humming." 

And  again  the  flies  said,  "  Tsu-nu-nu-nu"  and 
the  mosquitoes  and  gnats,  "  Tsi-ni-ni-ni"  Then, 
nu-u-u,  away  they  all  flew  like  a  cloud  of  sand  on 
a  windy  morning. 

"  Blood  !"  exclaimed  the  young  man.  He  wiped 
the  sweat  from  his  face  and  said,  "  The  gods  be 
angry  ! "  Then  he  dropped  his  hoe  and  rubbed 
his  shins  with  sand  and  slapped  his  sides.  "Atu!" 
he  yelled;  "what  matters  —  what  in  the  name 
of  the  Moon  Mother  matters  with  these  little 
beasts  that  cause  thoughts  ?  "  Whereupon,  crazed 
and  restless  as  a  spider  on  hot  ashes,  he  rolled 
in  the  dust,  but  to  no  purpose,  for  the  flies  and 
gnats  and  mosquitoes  sang  "  hu-n-n "  and  "  tsi~ 
ni-ni  "  about  his  ears  until  he  grabbed  up  his 
blanket  and  breakfast,  and  ran  toward  the  home  of 
his  fathers. 

"Wa-ha  ha!  Ho  of"  laughed  a  young  man 
in  the  Tented  Pueblo  to  the  north,  when  he  heard 
how  the  lover  had  fared.  "Shoomf"  he  sneered. 
"  Much  of  a  man  he  must  have  been  to  give  up 
the  maid  of  Matsaki  for  may-flies  and  gnats  and 
mosquitoes  ! "  So  on  the  very  next  morning,  he, 
too,  said  to  his  old  ones  :  "  What  a  fool  that  lit 
tle  boy  must  have  been.  I  will  visit  the  maiden 
of  Matsaki.  I  '11  show  the  people  of  Pinawa  what 
a  Hampasawan  man  can  do.  Courage  ! " — and, 
as  the  old  ones  said  "  Be  it  well,"  he  went  as  the 
other  had  gone  ;  but,  pshaw  !  he  fared  no  better. 


The  Trial  of  Lovers  7 

After  some  time,  a  young  man  who  lived  in  the 
River  Town  heard  about  it  and  laughed  as  hard 
as  the  youth  of  the  Tented  Pueblo  had.  He 
called  the  two  others  fools,  and  said  that  "girls 
were  not  in  the  habit  of  asking  much  when  one's 
bundle  was  large."  And  as  he  was  a  young  man 
who  had  everything,  he  made  a  bundle  of  presents 
as  large  as  he  could  carry ;  but  it  did  him  no  good. 
He,  too,  ran  away  from  the  may-flies  and  gnats 
and  mosquitoes. 

Many  days  passed  before  any  one  else  would 
try  again  to  woo  the  maiden  of  Matsaki.  They 
did  not  know,  it  is  true,  that  she  was  a  Passing 
Being ;  but  others  had  failed  all  on  account  of 
mosquitoes  and  may-flies  and  little  black  gnats, 
and  had  been  more  satisfied  with  shame  than  a 
full  hungry  man  with  food.  "That  is  sick  satis 
faction,"  they  would  say  to  one  another,  the  fear 
of  which  made  them  wait  to  see  what  others  would 
do. 

Now,  in  the  Ant  Hill,  which  was  named  Halon 
awan,1  lived  a  handsome  young  man,  but  he  was 
poor,  although  the  son  of  the  priest -chief  of 
Halonawan.  He  thought  many  days,  and  at  last 
said  to  his  grandmother,  who  was  very  old  and 
crafty,  <H6-ta  f  " 

1  The  ancient  pueblo  of  Zuni  itself  was  called  Halonawan,  or  the  Ant 
Hill,  the  ruins  of  which,  now  buried  beneath  the  sands,  lie  opposite  the 
modern  town  within  the  cast  of  a  stone.  Long  before  Halonawan  was 
abandoned,  the  nucleus  of  the  present  structure  was  begun  around  one 
of  the  now  central  plazas.  It  was  then,  and  still  is,  in  the  ancient  songs 
and  rituals  of  the  Zunis,  Hdlona-itiwana,  or  the  "Middle  Ant  Hill  of 
the  World,"  and  was  often  spoken  of  in  connection  with  the  older  town  as 
simply  the  "Ant  Hill." 


8  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

"  What  sayest  my  ndna  f  "  said  the  old  woman  ; 
for,  like  grandmothers  nowadays,  she  was  very 
soft  and  gentle  to  her  grandson. 

"  I  have  seen  the  maiden  of  Matsaki  and  my 
thoughts  kill  me  with  longing,  for  she  is  passing 
beautiful  and  wisely  slow.  I  do  not  wonder  that 
she  asks  hard  tasks  of  her  lovers ;  for  it  is  not 
of  their  bundles  that  she  thinks,  but  of  themselves. 
Now,  I  strengthen  my  thoughts  with  my  manli 
ness.  My  heart  is  hard  against  weariness,  and  I 
would  go  and  speak  to  the  beautiful  maiden." 

"Yo  d!  my  poor  boy,"  said  the  grandmother. 
"  She  is  as  wonderful  as  she  is  wise  and  beautiful. 
She  thinks  not  of  men  save  as  brothers  and 
friends ;  and  she  it  is,  I  bethink  me,  who  sends 
the  may-flies  and  gnats  and  mosquitoes,  therefore, 
to  drive  them  away.  They  are  but  disguised 
beings,  and  beware,  my  grandson,  you  will  only 
cover  yourself  with  shame  as  a  man  is  covered 
with  water  who  walks  through  a  rain-storm  !  I 
would  not  go,  my  poor  grandchild.  I  would  not 
go,"  she  added,  shaking  her  head  and  biting  her 
lips  till  her  chin  touched  her  nose-tip. 

"  Yes,  but  I  must  go,  my  grandmother.  Why 
should  I  live  only  to  breathe  hard  with  longing  ? 
Perhaps  she  will  better  her  thoughts  toward  me." 

"  Ah,  yes,  but  all  the  same,  she  will  test  thee. 
Well,  go  to  the  mountains  and  scrape  bitter  bark 
from  the  finger-root ;  make  a  little  loaf  of  the 
bark  and  hide  it  in  your  belt,  and  when  the  maiden 
sends  you  down  to  the  corn-field,  work  hard  at  the 
hoeing  until  sunrise.  Then,  when  your  body  is 


The  Trial  of  Lovers  9 

covered  with  sweat-drops,  rub  every  part  with  the 
root-bark.  The  finger-root  bark,  it  is  bitter  as  bad 
salt  mixed  in  with  bad  water,  and  the  '  horn- 
wings  '  and  *  long-beaks '  and  *  blue-backs '  fly  far 
from  the  salt  that  is  bitter." 

"  Then,  my  gentle  grandmother,  I  will  try  your 
words  and  thank  you," — for  he  was  as  gentle  and 
good  as  his  grandmother  was  knowing  and  crafty. 
Even  that  day  he  went  to  the  mountains  and 
gathered  a  ball  of  finger-root.  Then,  toward  even 
ing,  he  took  a  little  bundle  and  went  up  the  trail 
by  the  river-side  to  Matsaki.  When  he  climbed 
the  ladder  and  shouted  down  the  mat  door:  " Sht ! 
Are  ye  within  ?  "  the  people  did  not  answer  at  once, 
for  the  old  ones  were  angry  with  their  daughter 
that  she  had  sent  off  so  many  fine  lovers.  But 
when  he  shouted  again  they  answered : 

"  Haij  and  Ee,  we  are  within.  Be  yourself 
within." 

Then  without  help  he  went  down  the  ladder, 
but  he  did  n't  mind,  for  he  felt  himself  poor  and 
his  bundle  was  small.  As  he  entered  the  fire-light 
he  greeted  the  people  pleasantly  and  gravely,  and 
with  thanks  took  the  seat  that  was  laid  for  him. 

Now,  you  see,  the  old  man  was  angry  with  the 
girl,  so  he  did  not  tell  her  to  place  cooked  things 
before  him,  but  turned  to  his  old  wife. 

"  Old  one,"  he  began — but  before  he  had  fin 
ished  the  maiden  arose  and  brought  rich  venison 
stew  and  flaky  h£we,  which  she  placed  before  the 
youth  where  the  fire's  brightness  would  fall  upon 
it,  with  meat  broth  for  drink ;  then  she  sat  down 


io  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

opposite  him  and  said,  "  Eat  and  drink  !  "  Where 
upon  the  young  man  took  a  roll  of  the  wafer-bread 
and,  breaking  it  in  two,  gave  the  girl  the  larger 
piece,  which  she  bashfully  accepted. 

The  old  man  raised  his  eyebrows  and  upper  lids, 
looked  at  his  old  wife,  spat  in  the  fireplace,  and 
smoked  hard  at  his  cigarette,  joining  the  girl  in 
her  invitation  by  saying,  "  Yes,  have  to  eat  well." 

Soon  the  young  man  said,  "  Thanks,"  and  the 
maiden  quickly  responded,  "  Eat  more,"  and  "  Have 
eaten." 

After  brushing  the  crumbs  away  the  girl  sat 
down  by  her  mother,  and  the  father  rolled  a  ciga 
rette  for  the  young  man  and  talked  longer  with  him 
than  he  had  with  the  others. 

After  the  old  ones  had  stretched  out  in  the 
corner  and  begun  to  "  scrape  their  nostrils  with 
their  breath,"  the  maiden  turned  to  the  young 
man  and  said  :  "I  have  a  corn-field  in  the  lands 
of  the  priest-chief,  down  by  the  river,  and  if 
you  truly  love  me,  I  would  that  you  should  hoe 
the  whole  in  a  single  morning.  Thus  may  you 
prove  yourself  a  man,  and  to  love  me  truly ;  and  if 
you  will  do  this,  happily,  as  day  follows  day,  will 
we  live  each  with  the  other." 

"  Hai-i!"  replied  the  young  man,  who  smiled 
as  he  listened ;  and  as  the  young  maiden  looked 
at  him,  sitting  in  the  fading  fire-light  with  the 
smile  on  his  face,  she  thought :  "  Only  possibly. 
But  oh  !  how  I  wish  his  heart  might  be  strong, 
even  though  his  bundle  be  not  heavy  nor  large. 

"  Come  with  me,  young  man,  and  I  will  show  you 


The  Trial  of  Lovers  n 

where  you  are  to  await  the  morning.  Early  take 
my  father's  hoe,  which  stands  by  the  doorway,  and 
go  down  to  the  corn-field  long  before  the  night 
shadows  have  run  away  from  Thunder  Mountain  " 
—with  which  she  bade  him  pass  a  night  of  content 
ment  and  sought  her  own  place. 

When  all  was  still,  the  young  man  climbed  to 
the  sky-hole  and  in  the  starlight  asked  the  gods  of 
the  woodlands  and  waters  to  give  strength  to  his 
hands  and  power  to  his  prayer-medicine,  and  to 
meet  and  bless  him  with  the  light  of  their  favor ; 
and  he  threw  to  the  night-wind  meal  of  the  seeds 
of  earth  and  the  waters  of  the  world  with  which 
those  who  are  wise  fail  not  to  make  smooth  their 
trails  of  life.  Then  he  slept  till  the  sky  of  the 
day-land  grew  yellow  and  the.  shadows  of  the 
night-land  grew  gray,  and  then  shouldered  his  hoe 
and  went  down  to  the  corn-field.  His  task  was 
not  great,  for  the  others  had  hoed  much.  Where 
they  left  off,  there  he  fell  to  digging  right  and  left 
with  all  his  strength  and  haste,  till  the  hard  soil 
mellowed  and  the  earth  flew  before  his  strokes  as 
out  of  the  burrows  of  the  strongest-willed  gophers 
and  other  digging  creatures. 

When  the  sun  rose  the  maiden  looked  forth  and 
saw  that  his  task  was  already  half  done.  But  still 
she  waited.  As  the  sun  warmed  the  day  and  the 
youth  worked  on,  the  dewdrops  of  flesh  stood  all 
over  his  body  and  he  cast  away,  one  after  the 
other,  his  blanket  and  sash  and  even  his  leggings 
and  moccasins.  Then  he  stopped  to  look  around. 
By  the  side  of  the  field  grew  tall  yellow-tops.  He 


12  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

ran  into  the  thicket  and  rubbed  every  part  of  his 
body,  yea,  even  the  hair  of  his  head  and  his  ear- 
tips  and  nostrils,  with  the  bark  of  the  finger-root. 
Again  he  fell  to  work  as  though  he  had  only  been 
resting,  and  wondered  why  the  may-flies  and  gnats 
and  mosquitoes  came  not  to  cause  him  thoughts  as 
they  had  the  others.  Yet  still  the  girl  lingered  ; 
but  at  last  she  went  slowly  to  the  room  where  the 
jar  stood. 

"  It  is  absurd,"  thought  she,  "that  I  should  hope 
it  or  even  care  for  it ;  it  would  indeed  be  great  if  it 
were  well  true  that  a  young  man  should  love  me  so 
verily  as  to  hold  his  face  to  the  front  through  such 
a  testing."  Nevertheless,  she  drew  the  lid  off  and 
bade  her  strange  children  to  spare  him  no  more 
than  they  had  the  others. 

All  hasty  to  feast  themselves  on  the  "  waters  of 
life,"  as  our  old  grandfathers  would  say  for  blood, 
again  they  rushed  out  and  hummed  along  over  the 
corn-fields  in  such  numbers  that  they  looked  more 
like  a  wind-driven  sandstorm  than  ever,  and  "  tsi- 
ni-ni-i,  tso-no-o "  they  hummed  and  buzzed  about 
the  ears  of  the  young  man  when  they  came  to  him, 
so  noisily  that  the  poor  fellow,  who  kept  at  work 
all  the  while,  thought  they  were  already  biting  him. 
But  it  was  only  fancy,  for  the  first  may-fly  that  did 
bite  him  danced  in  the  air  with  disgust  and  ex 
claimed  to  his  companions,  "Sho-o-o-m-m  !  "  and  "  Us- 
d  !  "  which  meant  that  he  had  eaten  something  nasty, 
that  tasted  as  badly  as  vile  odors  smell.  So  not 
another  may-fly  in  the  throng  would  bite,  although 
they  all  kept  singing  their  song  about  his  ears.  And 


The  Trial  of  Lovers  13 

to  this  day  may-flies  are  careful  whom  they  bite, 
and  dance  a  long  time  in  the  air  before  they  do  it. 

Then  a  gnat  tried  it  and  gasped,  "  Weh!  "  which 
meant  that  his  stomach  had  turned  over,  and  he 
had  such  a  sick  headache  that  he  reeled  round  and 
round  in  the  air,  and  for  that  reason  gnats  always 
bite  very  quickly,  for  fear  their  stomachs  will  turn 
over,  and  they  will  reel  and  reel  round  and  round 
in  the  air  before  doing  it. 

Finally,  long-beak  himself  tried  it,  and,  as  long- 
beak  hangs  on,  you  know,  longer  than  most  other 
little  beasts,  he  kept  hold  until  his  two  hindlegs 
were  warped  out  of  shape  ;  but  at  last  he  had  to  let 
go,  too,  and  flew  straight  away,  crying,  "  Yd  kotchi!  " 
which  meant  that  something  bitter  had  burned  his 
snout.  Now,  for  these  reasons  mosquitoes  always 
have  bent-up  hindlegs,  which  they  keep  lifting  up 
and  down  while  biting,  as  though  they  were  stand 
ing  on  something  hot,  and  they  are  apt  to  sing  and 
smell  around  very  cautiously  before  spearing  us, 
and  they  fly  straight  away,  you  will  notice,  as  soon 
as  they , are  done. 

Now,  when  the  rest  of  the  gnats  and  mosquitoes 
heard  the  words  of  their  elder  brothers,  they  did  as 
the  may-flies  had  done — did  not  venture,  no,  not 
one  of  them,  to  bite  the  young  lover.  They  all  flew 
away  and  settled  down  on  the  yellow-tops,  where 
they  had  a  council,  and  decided  to  go  and  find 
some  prairie-dogs  to  bite.  Therefore  you  will  al 
most  always  find  may-flies,  gnats,  and  mosquitoes 
around  prairie-dog  holes  in  summer  time  when  the 
corn  is  growing. 


H  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

So  the  young  man  breathed  easily  as  he  hoed 
hard  to  finish  his  task  ere  the  noonday,  and  when 
the  maiden  looked  down  and  saw  that  he  still 
labored  there,  she  said  to  herself  :  "  Ah,  indeed  he 
must  love  me,  for  still  he  is  there  !  Well,  it  may  be, 
for  only  a  little  longer  and  they  will  leave  him  in 
peace."  Hastily  she  placed  venison  in  the  cooking- 
pot  and  prepared  fresh  hdwe  and  sweetened  bread, 
"  for  maybe"  she  still  thought,  "and  then  I  will 
have  it  ready  for  him." 

Now,  alas  !  you  do  not  know  that  this  good  and 
beautiful  maiden  had  a  sister,  alas  ! — a  sister  as 
beautiful  as  herself,  .but  bad  and  double-hearted  ; 
and  you  know  when  people  have  double  hearts 
they  are  wizards  or  witches,  and  have  double 
tongues  and  paired  thoughts — such  a  sister  elder 
had  the  maiden  of  Matsaki,  alas  ! 

When  the  sun  had  climbed  almost  to  the  middle 
of  the  sky,  the  maiden,  still  doubtful,  looked  down 
once  more.  He  was  there,  and  was  working 
among  the  last  hills  of  corn. 

"  Ah,  truly  indeed  he  loves  me,"  she  thought, 
and  she  hastened  to  put  on  her  necklaces  and 
bracelets  of  shells,  her  ear-rings  as  long  as  your 
fingers — of  turquoises, — and  her  fine  cotton  man 
tles  with  borders  of  stitched  butterflies  of  summer- 
land,  and  flowers  of  the  autumn.  Then  she  took 
a  new  bowl  from  the  stick-rack  in  the  corner,  and  a 
large  many-colored  tray  that  she  had  woven  her 
self,  and  she  filled  the  one  with  meat  broth,  and 
the  other  with  the  h£we  and  sweet-bread,  and 
placing  the  bowl  of  meat  broth  on  her  head,  she 


The  Trial  of  Lovers  15 

took  the  tray  of  h£we  in  her  hand,  and  started 
down  toward  the  corn-field  by  the  river-side  to  meet 
her  lover  and  to  thank  him. 

Witches  are  always  jealous  of  the  happiness  and 
good  fortune  of  others.  So  was  the  sister  of  the 
beautiful  maiden  jealous  when  she  saw  the  smile 
on  her  hams  face  as  she  tripped  toward  the  river. 

"  Ho  hd!"  said  the  two-hearted  sister.  "  T<*m- 
ithlokwa  Mokwd !  Wanani!"  which  are  words 
of  defiance  and  hatred,  used  so  long  ago  by  de 
mons  and  wizards  that  no  one  knows  nowadays 
what  they  mean  except  the  last  one,  which  plainly 
says,  "  Just  wait  a  bit !"  and  she  hastened  to  dress 
herself,  through  her  wicked  knowledge,  exactly 
as  the  beautiful  maiden  was  dressed.  She  even 
carried  just  such  a  bowl  and  tray ;  and  as  she  was 
beautiful,  like  her  younger  sister,  nobody  could 
have  known  the  one  from  the  other,  or  the  other 
from  the  one.  Then  she  passed  herself  through 
a  hoop  of  magic  yucca,  which  made  her  seem  not 
to  be  where  she  was,  for  no  one  could  see  her  un 
less  she  willed  it. 

Now,  just  as  the  sun  was  resting  in  the  middle 
of  the  sky,  the  young  man  finished  the  field  and 
ran  down  to  the  river  to  wash.  Before  he  was 
done,  he  saw  the  maiden  coming  down  the  trail 
with  the  bowl  on  her  head  and  the  tray  in  her 
hand  ;  so  he  made  haste,  and  ran  back  to  dress 
himself  and  to  sit  down  to  wait  for  her.  As  she 
approached,  he  said  :  "  Thou  comest,  and  may  it  be 
happily," — when  lo  !  there  appeared  two  maidens 
exactly  alike  ;  so  he  quickly  said,  "Ye  come." 


1 6  Ztmi  Folk  Tales 

"/?,"  said  the  maidens,  so  nearly  together  that 
it  sounded  like  one  voice ;  but  when  they  both 
placed  the  same  food  before  him,  the  poor  young 
man  looked  from  one  to  the  other,  and  asked : 

"  Alas  !  of  which  am  I  to  eat  ?  " 

Then  it  was  that  the  maiden  suddenly  saw  her 
sister,  and  became  hot  with  anger,  for  she  knew 
her  wicked  plans.  "  Ah,  thou  foolish  sister,  why 
didst  thou  come  ? "  she  said.  But  the  other  only 
replied  : 

"  Ah,  thou  foolish  sister,  why  didst  thou  come?" 

"  Go  back,  for  he  is  mine-to-be,"  said  the  maiden, 
beginning  to  cry. 

"  Go  back,  for  he  is  mine-to-be,"  said  the  bad 
one,  pretending  to  cry. 

And  thus  they  quarrelled  until  they  had  given 
one  another  smarting  words  four  times,  when  they 
fell  to  fighting — as  women  always  fight,  by  pulling 
each  other's  hair,  and  scratching,  and  grappling 
until  they  rolled  over  each  other  in  the  sand. 

The  poor  young  man  started  forward  to  part 
them,  but  he  knew  not  one  from  the  other,  so 
thinking  that  the  bad  one  must  know  how  to  fight 
better  than  his  beautiful  maiden  wife,  he  suddenly 
caught  up  his  stone-weighted  hoe,  and  furiously 
struck  the  one  that  was  uppermost  on  the  head, 
again  and  again,  until  she  let  go  her  hold,  and  fell 
back,  murmuring  and  moaning  :  "  Alas  !  that  thus 
it  should  be  after  all,  after  all ! "  Then  she  forgot, 
and  her  eyes  ceased  to  see. 

While  yet  the  young  man  looked,  lo  !  there  was 
only  the  dying  maiden  before  him ;  but  in  the  air 


The  Trial  of  Lovers  17 

above  circled  an  ugly  black  Crow,  that  laughed 
"  kawkaw,  kawkaw,  kawkaw !  "  and  flew  away  to 
its  cave  in  Thunder  Mountain. 

Then  the  young  man  knew.  He  cried  aloud 
and  beat  his  breast;  then  he  ran  to  the  river  and 
brought  water  and  bathed  the  blood  away  from 
the  maiden's  temples  ;  but  alas !  she  only  smiled 
and  talked  with  her  lips,  then  grew  still  and  cold. 

Alone,  as  the  sun  travelled  toward  the  land  of 
evening,  wept  the  young  man  over  the  body  of  his 
beautiful  wife.  He  knew  naught  but  his  sad 
thoughts.  He  took  her  in  his  arms,  and  placed 
his  face  close  to  hers,  and  again  and  again  he 
called  to  her :  "  Alas,  alas  !  my  beautiful  wife  ;  I 
loved  thee,  I  love  thee.  Alas,  alas !  Ah,  my 
beautiful  wife,  my  beautiful  wife  ! " 

When  the  people  returned  from  their  fields  in 
the  evening,  they  missed  the  beautiful  maiden  of 
Matsaki  ;  and  they  saw  the  young  man,  bending 
low  and  alone  over  something  down  in  the  lands 
of  the  priest-chief  by  the  river,  and  when  they 
told  the  old  father,  he  shook  his  head  and  said  : 

"  It  is  not  well  with  my  beautiful  child  ;  but  as 
They  (the  gods)  say,  thus  must  all  things  be." 
Then  he  smiled  —  for  the  heart  of  a  priest-chief 
never  cries, — and  told  them  to  go  and  bring  her 
to  the  plaza  of  Matsaki  and  bury  her  before  the 
House  of  the  Sun  ;  for  he  knew  what  had  happened. 

So  the  people  did  as  their  father  had  told  them. 
They  weiit  down  at  sunset  and  took  the  beautiful 
maiden  away,  and  wrapped  her  in  mantles,  and 
buried  her  near  the  House  of  the  Sun. 


1 8  Zufli  Folk  Tales 

But  the  poor  young  man  knew  naught  but  his 
sad  thoughts.  He  followed  them  ;  and  when  he 
had  made  her  grave,  he  sat  down  by  her  earth 
bed  and  would  not  leave  her.  No,  not  even  when 
the  sun  set,  but  moaned  and  called  to  her  :  "  Alas, 
alas !  my  beautiful  wife  ;  I  loved  thee,  I  love  thee  ; 
even  though  I  knew  not  thee  and  killed  thee. 
Alas  !  Ah,  my  beautiful  wife  !  " 

"Shonetchi!"  ("  There  is  left  of  my  story.") 
And  what  there  is  left,  I  will  tell  you  some  other 
night. 

(Told  the  Second  Night) 

"Sonahtchi!" 

"  Sons  shonetchi  /  "  ("  There  is  left  of  my  story  "  ;) 
but  I  will  tell  you  not  alone  of  the  Maid  of  Matsaki, 
because  the  young  man  killed  her,  for  he  knew  not 
his  wife  from  the  other.  It  is  of  the  Red  Feather, 
or  the  Wife  of  Matsaki  that  I  will  tell  you  this 
sitting. 

Even  when  the  sun  set,  and  the  hills  and  houses 
grew  black  in  the  shadows,  still  the  young  man  sat 
by  the  grave-side,  his  hands  rested  upon  his  knees 
and  his  face  buried  in  them.  And  the  people  no 
longer  tried  to  steal  his  sad  thoughts  from  him  ; 
but,  instead,  left  him,  as  one  whose  mind  errs,  to 
wail  out  with  weeping  :  "  Alas,  alas  !  my  beautiful 
wife  ;  I  loved  thee,  I  love  thee  ;  even  though  I 
knew  not  thee  and  killed  thee  !  Alas  !  Ah,  my 
beautiful  wife  ! " 

But  when  the  moon  set  on  the  western  hills,  and 


The  Trial  of  Lovers  19 

the  great  snowdrift  streaked  across  the  mid-sky, 
and  the  night  was  half  gone,  the  sad  watcher  saw 
a  light  in  the  grave-sands  like  the  light  of  the 
embers  that  die  in  the  ashes.  As  he  watched,  his 
sad  thoughts  became  bright  thoughts,  for  the  light 
grew  and  brightened  till  it  burned  the  dark  grave- 
sands  as  sunlight  the  shadows.  Lo  !  the  bride  lay 
beneath.  She  tore  off  her  mantles  and  raised  up 
in  her  grave-bed.  Then  she  looked  at  the  eager 
lover  so  coldly  and  sadly  that  his  bright  thoughts 
all  darkened,  for  she  mournfully  told  him :  "  Alas  ! 
Ah,  my  lover,  my  husband  knew  not  me  from  the 
other  ;  loved  me  not,  therefore  killed  me  ;  even 
though  I  had  hoped  for  love,  loved  me  not,  there 
fore  killed  me  !  " 

Again  the  young  man  buried  his  face  in  his 
hands  and  shook  his  head  mournfully  ;  and  like  one 
whose  thoughts  erred,  again  he  wailed  his  lament  : 
"  Alas,  alas  !  my  beautiful  bride  !  I  do  love  thee  ; 
I  loved  thee,  but  I  did  not  know  thee  and  killed 
thee  !  Alas  !  Ah,  my  beautiful  bride,  my  beautiful 
bride  ! " 

At  last,  as  the  great  star  rose  from  the  sky-land, 
the  dead  maiden  spoke  softly  to  the  mourning 
lover,  yet  her  voice  was  sad  and  strange  :  "  Young 
man,  mourn  thou  not,  but  go  back  to  the  home  of 
thy  fathers.  Knowest  thou  not  that  I  am  another 
being  ?  When  the  sky  of  the  day-land  grows 
yellow  and  the  houses  come  out  of  the  shadows, 
then  will  the  light  whereby  thou  sawest  me,  fade 
away  in  the  morn-light,  as  the  blazes  of  late  coun 
cils  pale  their  red  in  the  sunlight."  Then  her  voice 


20  Zufii  Folk  Tales 

grew  sadder  as  she  said  :  "  I  am  only  a  spirit ;  for 
remember,  alas  !  ah,  my  lover,  my  husband  knew 
not  me  from  the  other — loved  me  not,  therefore 
killed  me ;  even  though  I  had  hoped  for  love, 
loved  me  not,  therefore  killed  me." 

But  the  young  man  would  not  go  until,  in  the 
gray  of  the  morning,  he  saw  nothing  where  the 
light  had  appeared  but  the  dark  sand  of  the  grave 
as  it  had  been.  Then  he  arose  and  went  away  in 
sorrow.  Nor  would  he  all  day  speak  to  men,  but 
gazed  only  whither  his  feet  stepped  and  shook  his 
head  sadly  like  one  whose  thoughts  wandered. 
And  when  again  the  houses  and  hills  grew  black 
with  the  shadows,  he  sought  anew  the  fresh  grave 
and  sat  down  by  its  side,  bowed  his  head  and  still 
murmured :  "  Alas,  alas  !  my  beautiful  wife,  I 
loved  thee,  though  I  knew  not  thee,  and  killed 
thee.  Alas  !  Ah,  my  beautiful  wife  !  " 

Even  brighter  glowed  the  light  in  the  grave- 
sands  when  the  night  was  divided,  and  the  maid 
en's  spirit  arose  and  sat  in  her  grave-bed,  but  she 
only  reproached  him  and  bade  him  go.  "  For,"  said 
she,  "  I  am  only  a  spirit ;  remember,  alas  !  ah,  my 
lover,  my  husband  knew  not  me  from  the  other ; 
loved  me  not,  therefore  killed  me  ;  even  though  I 
had  hoped  for  love,  loved  me  not,  therefore  killed 
me!" 

But  he  left  only  in  the  morning,  and  again  when 
the  dark  came,  returned  to  the  grave-side. 

When  the  light  shone  that  night,  the  maiden, 
more  beautiful  than  ever,  came  out  of  the  grave- 
bed  and  sat  by  her  lover.  Once  more  she  urged 


The  Trial  of  Lovers  21 

him  to  return  to  his  fathers ;  but  when  she  saw 
that  he  would  not,  she  said  :  "  Thou  hadst  better, 
for  I  go  a  long  journey.  As  light  as  the  wind  is, 
so  light  will  my  feet  be  ;  as  long  as  the  day  is,  thou 
canst  not  my  form  see.  Know  thou  not  that  the 
spirits  are  seen  but  in  darkness  ?  for,  alas  !  ah,  my 
lover,  my  husband  knew  not  me  from  the  other ; 
loved  me  not,  therefore  killed  me ;  even  though  I  had 
hoped  for  love,  loved  me  not,  therefore  killed  me  !  " 

Then  the  young  man  ceased  bemoaning  his 
beautiful  bride.  He  looked  at  her  sadly,  and  said  : 
"  I  do  love  thee,  my  beautiful  wife !  I  do  love 
thee,  and  whither  thou  goest  let  me  therefore  go 
with  thee  !  I  care  not  how  long  is  the  journey, 
nor  how  hard  is  the  way.  If  I  can  but  see  thee, 
even  only  at  night  time,  then  will  I  be  happy  and 
cease  to  bemoan  thee.  It  was  because  I  loved  thee 
and  would  have  saved  thee  ;  but  alas,  my  beautiful 
wife  !  I  knew  not  thee,  therefore  killed  thee  ! " 

"  Alas  !  Ah,  my  lover  ;  and  Ah  !  how  I  loved 
thee  ;  but  I  am  a  spirit,  and  thou  art  unfinished. 
But  if  thou  thus  love  me,  go  back  when  I  leave 
thee  and  plume  many  prayer-sticks.  Choose  a 
light,  downy  feather  and  dye  it  with  ocher.  Wrap 
up  in  thy  blanket  a  lunch  for  four  daylights  ; 
bring  with  thee  much  prayer-meal  ;  come  to  me  at 
midnight  and  sit  by  my  grave-side,  and  when  in  the 
eastward  the  dayland  is  lighting,  tie  over  my  fore 
head  the  reddened  light  feather,  and  when  with 
the  morning  I  fade  from  thy  vision,  follow  only  the 
feather  until  it  is  evening,  and  then  thou  shalt  see 
me  and  sit  down  beside  me." 


22  Zufii  Folk  Tales 

So  at  sunrise  the  young  man  went  away  and 
gathered  feathers  of  the  summer  birds,  and  cut 
many  prayer-sticks,  whereon  he  bound  them  with 
cotton,  as  gifts  to  the  Fathers.  Then  he  found  a 
beautiful  downy  feather  plucked  from  the  eagle, 
and  dyed  it  red  with  ocher,  and  tied  to  it  a  string 
of  cotton  wherewith  to  fasten  it  over  the  forehead 
of  the  spirit  maiden.  When  night  came,  he  took 
meal  made  from  parched  corn  and  burnt  sweet 
bread,  and  once  more  went  down  to  the  plaza  and 
sat  by  the  grave-side. 

When  midnight  came  and  the  light  glowed  forth 
through  the  grave-sands,  lo  !  the  maiden-spirit  came 
out  and  stood  by  his  side.  She  seemed  no  longer 
sad,  but  happy,  like  one  going  home  after  long  ab 
sence.  Nor  was  the  young  man  sad  or  single- 
thoughted  like  one  whose  mind  errs  ;  so  they  sat 
together  and  talked  of  their  journey  till  the  day- 
land  grew  yellow  and  the  black  shadows  gray,  and 
the  houses  and  hills  came  out  of  the  darkness. 

"  Once  more  would  I  tell  thee  to  go  back,"  said 
the  maiden's  spirit  to  the  young  man  ;  "  but  I 
know  why  thou  goest  with  me,  and  it  is  well.  Only 
watch  me  when  the  day  comes,  and  thou  wilt  see  me 
no  more  ;  but  look  whither  the  plume  goeth,  and 
follow,  for  thou  knowest  that  thou  must  tie  it  to 
the  hair  above  my  forehead." 

Then  the  young  man  took  the  bright  red  plume 
out  from  among  the  feathers  of  sacrifice,  and  gently 
tied  it  above  the  maiden-spirit's  forehead. 

As  the  light  waved  up  from  behind  the  great 
mountain  the  red  glow  faded  out  from  the  grave- 


The  Trial  of  Lovers  23 

sands  and  the  youth  looked  in  vain  for  the  spirit  of 
the  maiden  ;  but  before  him,  at  the  height  of  one's 
hands  when  standing,  waved  the  light  downy 
feather  in  the  wind  of  the  morning.  Then  the 
plume,  not  the  wife,  rose  before  him,  like  the 
plumes  on  the  head  of  a  dancer,  and  moved  through 
the  streets  that  led  westward,  and  down  through 
the  fields  to  the  river.  And  out  through  the  streets 
that  led  westward,  and  down  on  the  trail  by 
the  river,  and  on  over  the  plains  always  to 
ward  the  land  of  evening,  the  young  man  fol 
lowed  close  the  red  feather  ;  but  at  last  he  began 
to  grow  weary,  for  the  plume  glided  swiftly  before 
him,  until  at  last  it  left  him  far  behind,  and  even 
now  and  then  lost  him  entirely.  Then,  as  he 
hastened  on,  he  called  in  anguish  : 

"  My  beautiful  bride !  My  beautiful  bride ! 
Oh,  where  art  thou  ?  " 

But  the  plume,  not  the  wife,  stopped  and  waited. 
And  thus  the  plume  and  the  young  man  journeyed 
until,  toward  evening,  they  came  to  the  forests  of 
sweet-smelling  pinons  and  cedars.  As  the  night 
hid  the  hills  in  the  shadows,  alas  !  the  plume  dis 
appeared,  but  the  young  man  pressed  onward,  for 
he  knew  that  the  plume  still  journeyed  westward. 
Yet  at  times  he  was  so  weary  that  he  almost  lost 
the  strength  of  his  thoughts  ;  for  he  ran  into  trees 
by  the  trail-side  and  stumbled  over  dry  roots  and 
branches.  So  again  and  again  he  would  call  out 
in  anguish  :  "  My  beautiful  wife  !  My  beautiful 
bride  !  Oh,  where  art  thou  ?  " 

At  last,  when  the  night  was  divided,  to  his  joy 


24  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

he  saw,  far  away  on  the  hill-top,  a  light  that  was 
red  and  grew  brighter  like  the  light  of  a  camp-fire's 
red  embers  when  fanned  by  the  wind  of  the  night 
time.  And  like  a  star  that  is  rising  or  setting,  the 
red  light  sat  still  on  the  hill-top.  So  he  ran 
hastily  forward,  until,  as  he  neared  the  red  light, 
lo  !  there  sat  the  spirit  of  the  beautiful  maiden  ; 
and  as  he  neared  her,  she  said  : 

"  Comest  thou?"  and  "  How  hast  thou  come 
to  the  evening  ?  " 

As  she  spoke  she  smiled,  and  motioned  him  to 
sit  down  beside  her.  He  was  so  weary  that  he 
slept  while  he  talked  to  her ;  but,  remember,  she 
was  a  spirit,  therefore  she  slept  not. 

Just  as  the  morning  star  came  up  from  the  day- 
land,  the  maiden  rose  to  journey  on,  and  the 
young  man,  awaking,  followed  her.  But  as  the 
hills  came  out  of  the  shadows,  the  form  of 
the  maiden  before  him  grew  fainter  and  fainter, 
until  it  faded  entirely,  and  only  the  red  plume 
floated  before  him,  like  the  plume  on  the  head  of 
a  dancer.  Far  ahead  and  fast  floated  the  plume, 
until  it  entered  a  plain  of  lava  filled  with  sharp 
crags ;  yet  still  it  went  on,  for  the  maiden's  spirit 
moved  over  the  barriers  as  lightly  as  the  down  of 
dead  flowers  in  autumn.  But  alas !  the  young 
man  had  to  seek  his  way,  and  the  plume  again  left 
him  far  behind,  until  he  was  forced  to  cry  out: 
"Ah,  my  beautiful  bride,  do  wait  for  me,  for  I 
love  thee,  and  will  not  turn  from  thee  ! "  Then 
the  plume  stopped  on  the  other  side  of  the  crags 
and  waited  until  the  poor  young  man  came  nearer, 


The  Trial  of  Lovers  25 

his  feet  and  legs  cut  and  bleeding,  and  his  wind 
almost  out.  Then  the  trail  was  more  even,  and 
led  through  wide  plains  ;  but  even  thus  the  young 
man  could  scarce  keep  the  red  plume  in  sight. 
But  at  night  the  maiden  awaited  him  in  a  sheltered 
place,  and  they  rested  together  beneath  the  cedars 
until  daylight.  Then  again  she  faded  out  in  the 
daylight,  and  the  red  plume  led  the  way. 

For  a  long  time  the  trail  was  pleasant,  but  to 
ward  evening  they  came  to  a  wide  bed  of  cactus, 
and  the  plume  passed  over  as  swiftly  as  ever,  but 
the  young  man's  moccasins  were  soon  torn  and 
his  feet  and  legs  cruelly  lacerated  with  the  cactus 
spines  ;  yet  still  he  pursued  the  red  plume  until  the 
pain  seemed  to  sting  his  whole  body,  and  he 
gasped  and  wailed  :  "  Ah,  my  beautiful  wife,  wait 
for  me  ;  do  wait,  for  I  love  thee  and  will  not  leave 
thee ! "  Then  the  plume  stopped  beyond  the 
plain  of  cactus  and  waited  until  he  had  passed 
through,  but  not  longer,  for  ere  he  had  plucked  all 
the  needles  of  the  cactus  from  his  bleeding  feet,  it 
floated  on,  and  he  lifted  himself  up  and  followed 
until  at  evening  the  maiden  again  waited  and  bade 
him  "  Sit  down  and  rest." 

That  night  she  seemed  to  pity  him,  and  once 
more  spoke  to  him  :  "  Yo  d!  My  lover,  my  hus 
band,  turn  back,  oh,  turn  back !  for  the  way  is 
long  and  untrodden,  and  thy  heart  is  but  weak  and 
is  mortal.  I  go  to  the  Council  of  Dead  Ones,  and 
how  can  the  living  there  enter?  " 

But  the  youth  only  wept,  and  begged  that  she 
let  him  go  with  her.  "  For,  ah,"  said  he,  "my 


26  Zufii  Folk  Tales 

beautiful  wife,  my  beautiful  bride,  I  love  thee  and 
cannot  turn  from  thee  ! " 

And  she  smiled  only  and  shook  her  head  sadly 
as  she  replied:  "  Yo  d!  It  shall  be  as  thou 
wiliest.  It  may  be  thy  heart  will  not  wither,  for 
tomorrow  is  one  more  day  onward,  and  then 
down  the  trail  to  the  waters  wherein  stands  the 
ladder  of  others,  shall  I  lead  thee  to  wait  me  for 
ever." 

At  mid-sun  on  the  day  after,  the  plume  led  the 
way  straight  to  a  deep  canon,  the  walls  of  which 
were  so  steep  that  no  man  could  pass  them  alive. 
For  a  moment  the  red  plume  paused  above  the 
chasm,  and  the  youth  pressed  on  and  stretched 
his  hand  forth  to  detain  it ;  but  ere  he  had  gained 
the  spot,  it  floated  on  straight  over  the  dark  canon, 
as  though  no  ravine  had  been  there  at  all ;  for  to 
spirits  the  trails  that  once  have  been,  even  though 
the  waters  have  worn  them  away,  still  are. 

Wildly  the  young  man  rushed  up  and  down  the 
steep  brink,  and  despairingly  he  called  across  to 
the  plume  :  "  Alas  !  ah,  my  beautiful  wife  !  Wait, 
only  wait  for  me,  for  I  love  thee  and  cannot  turn 
from  thee  !  "  Then,  like  one  whose  thoughts  wan 
dered,  he  threw  himself  over  the  brink  and  hung 
by  his  hands  as  if  to  drop,  when  a  jolly  little  striped 
Squirrel,  who  was  playing  at  the  bottom  of  the 
canon,  happened  to  see  him,  and  called  out  : 
"  Tsithl !  Tsithl!"  and  much  more,  which  meant 
"Ahhai!  Wanant !  "  "You  crazy  fool  of  a  be 
ing  !  You  have  not  the  wings  of  a  falcon,  nor  the 
hands  of  a  Squirrel,  nor  the  feet  of  a  spirit,  and  if 


The  Trial  of  Lovers  27 

you  drop  you  will  be  broken  to  pieces  and  the 
moles  will  eat  up  the  fragments  !  Wait !  Hold 
hard,  and  I  will  help  you,  for,  though  I  am  but  a 
Squirrel,  I  know  how  to  think  !  " 

Whereupon  the  little  chit  ran  chattering  away 
and  called  his  mate  out  of  their  house  in  a  rock- 
nook  :  "  Wife  !  Wife  !  Come  quickly  ;  run  to  our 
corn  room  and  bring  me  a  hemlock,  and  hurry  ! 
hurry  !  Ask  me  no  questions  ;  for  a  crazy  fool  of 
a  man  over  here  will  break  himself  to  pieces  if  we 
don't  quickly  make  him  a  ladder." 

So  the  little  wife  flirted  her  brush  in  his  face  and 
skipped  over  the  rocks  to  their  store-house,  where 
she  chose  a  fat  hemlock  and  hurried  to  her  hus 
band  who  was  digging  a  hole  in  the  sand  under 
neath  where  the  young  man  was  hanging.  Then 
they  spat  on  the  seed,  and  buried  it  in  the  hole, 
and  began  to  dance  round  it  and  sing, — 

"  Kidthld  tsilu, 

Silokwe,  silokwe,  silokwe  ; 
Ki'ai  silu  situ, 

Tsithl!   Tsithl!" 

Which  meant,  as  far  as  any  one  can  tell  now  (for 
it  was  a  long  time  ago,  and  partly  squirrel  talk), 

"  Hemlock  of  the 

Tall  kind,  tall  kind,  tall  kind, 
Sprout  up  hemlock,  hemlock, 
Chit  !    Chit !  " 

And  every  time  they  danced  around  and  sang  the 
song  through,  the  ground  moved,  until  the  fourth 


28  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

time  they  said  "  Tsithl !  Tsithl  /  "  the  tree  sprouted 
forth  and  kept  growing  until  the  little  Squirrel 
could  jump  into  it,  and  by  grabbing  the  topmost 
bough  and  bracing  himself  against  the  branches 
below,  could  stretch  and  pull  it,  so  that  in  a  short 
time  he  made  it  grow  as  high  as  the  young  man's 
feet,  and  he  had  all  he  could  do  to  keep  the  poor 
youth  from  jumping  right  into  it  before  it  was 
strong  enough  to  hold  him.  Presently  he  said 
"  Tsithl  /  Tsithl !  "  and  whisked  away  before  the 
young  man  had  time  to  thank  him.  Then  the  sad 
lover  climbed  down  and  quickly  gained  the  other 
side,  which  was  not  so  steep  ;  before  he  could  rest 
from  his  climb,  however,  the  plume  floated  on,  and 
he  had  to  get  up  and  follow  it. 

Just  as  the  sun  went  into  the  west,  the  plume 
hastened  down  into  a  valley  between  the  moun 
tains,  where  lay  a  beautiful  lake  ;  and  around  the 
borders  of  the  lake  a  very  ugly  old  man  and  wo 
man,  who  were  always  walking  back  and  forth 
across  the  trails,  came  forward  and  laughed  loudly 
and  greeted  the  beautiful  maiden  pleasantly.  Then 
they  told  her  to  enter  ;  and  she  fearlessly  walked 
into  the  water,  and  a  ladder  of  flags  came  up  out 
of  the  middle  of  the  lake  to  receive  her,  down 
which  she  stepped  without  stopping  until  she 
passed  under  the  waters.  For  a  little  —  and  then 
all  was  over  —  a  bright  light  shone  out  of  the 
water,  and  the  sound  of  many  glad  voices  and  soft 
merry  music  came  also  from  beneath  it  ;  then  the 
stars  of  the  sky  and  the  stars  of  the  waters  looked 
the  same  at  each  other  as  they  had  done  before. 


The  Trial  of  Lovers  29 

"  Alas  !  "  cried  the  young  man  as  he  ran  to  the 
lake-side.  "  Ah,  my  beautiful  wife,  my  beautiful 
wife,  only  wait,  only  wait,  that  I  may  go  with 
thee  !  "  But  only  the  smooth  waters  and  the  old 
man  and  woman  were  before  him  ;  nor  did  the 
ladder  come  out  or  the  old  ones  greet  him.  So  he 
sat  down  on  the  lake-side  wringing  his  hands  and 
weeping,  and  ever  his  mind  wandered  back  to  his 
old  lament :  "  Alas  !  alas  !  my  beautiful  bride,  my 
beautiful  wife,  I  love  thee  ;  I  loved  thee,  but  I  knew 
not  thee  and  killed  thee  !  " 

Toward  the  middle  of  the  night  once  more  he 
heard  strange,  happy  voices.  The  doorway  to  the 
Land  of  Spirits  opened,  and  the  light  shot  up 
through  the  dark  green  waters  from  many  win 
dows,  like  sparks  from  a  chimney  on  a  dark,  wind 
less  night.  Then  the  ladder  again  ascended,  and 
he  saw  the  forms  of  the  dead  pass  out  and  in,  and 
heard  the  sounds  of  the  Kdkd,  as  it  danced  for  the 
gods.  The  comers  and  goers  were  bright  and 
beautiful,  but  their  garments  were  snow-white  cot 
ton,  stitched  with  many-colored  threads,  and  their 
necklaces  and  bracelets  were  of  dazzling  white 
shells  and  turquoises  unnumbered.  Once  he  ven 
tured  to  gain  the  bright  entrance,  but  the  water 
grew  deep  and  chilled  him  till  he  trembled  with 
fear  and  cold.  Yet  he  looked  in  at  the  entrances, 
and  lo  !  as  he  gazed  he  caught  sight  of  his  beauti 
ful  bride  all  covered  with  garments  and  bright 
things.  And  there  in  the  midst  of  the  Kdkd  she 
sat  at  the  head  of  the  dancers.  She  seemed  happy 
and  smiled  as  she  watched,  and  youths  as  bright 


30  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

and  as  happy  came  around  her,  and  she  seemed  to 
forget  her  lone  lover. 

Then  with  a  cry  of  despair  and  anguish  he 
crawled  to  the  lake-shore  and  buried  his  face  in 
the  sands  and  rank  grasses.  Suddenly  he  heard  a 
low  screech,  and  then  a  hoarse  voice  seemed  to  call 
him.  He  looked,  and  a  great  Owl  flew  over  him, 
saying  :  "  Muhai  !  Hu  hu  !  Hu  hu  !  " 

44  What  wilt  thou  ?  "  he  cried,  in  vexed  anguish. 

Then  the  Owl  flew  closer,  and,  lighting,  asked  : 
"  Why  weepest  thou,  my  child  ?  " 

He  turned  and  looked  at  the  Owl  and  told  it 
part  of  his  trouble,  when  the  Owl  suddenly  twisted 
its  head  quite  around — as  owls  do  —  to  see  if  any 
one  were  near  ;  then  came  closer  and  said  :  "  I  know 
all  about  it,  young  man.  Come  with  me  to  my 
house  in  the  mountain,  and  if  thou  wilt  but  follow 
my  counsel,  all  will  yet  be  well."  Then  the  Owl 
led  the  way  to  a  cave  far  above  and  bade  him  step 
in.  As  he  placed  his  foot  inside  the  opening,  be 
hold  !  it  widened  into  a  bright  room,  and  many 
Owl-men  and  Owl-women  around  greeted  him  hap 
pily,  and  bade  him  sit  down  and  eat. 

The  old  Owl  who  had  brought  him,  changed  him 
self  in  a  twinkling,  as  he  entered  the  room,  and 
hung  his  owl-coat  on  an  antler.  Then  he  went 
away,  but  presently  returned,  bringing  a  little  bag 
of  medicine.  "  Before  I  give  thee  this,  let  me  tell 
thee  what  to  do,  and  what  thou  must  promise," 
said  he  of  the  owl-coat. 

The  young  man  eagerly  reached  forth  his  hand 
for  the  magic  medicine. 


The  Trial  of  Lovers  31 

"  Fool  !  "  cried  the  being  ;  "  were  it  not  well,  for 
that  would  I  not  help  thee.  Thou  art  too  eager, 
and  I  will  not  trust  thee  with  my  medicine  of 
sleep.  Thou  shalt  sleep  here,  and  when  thou 
awakest  thou  shalt  find  the  morning  star  in  the 
sky,  and  thy  dead  wife  before  thee  on  the  trail 
toward  the  Middle  Ant  Hill.  With  the  rising  sun 
she  will  wake  and  smile  on  thee.  Be  not  foolish, 
but  journey  preciously  with  her,  and  not  until  ye 
reach  the  home  of  thy  fathers  shalt  thou  approach 
her  or  kiss  her  ;  for  if  thou  doest  this,  all  will  be 
as  nothing  again.  But  if  thou  doest  as  I  counsel 
thee,  all  will  be  well,  and  happily  may  ye  live  one 
with  the  other." 

He  ceased,  and,  taking  a  tiny  pinch  of  the  medi 
cine,  blew  it  in  the  face  of  the  youth.  Instantly 
the  young  man  sank  with  sleep  where  he  had  been 
sitting,  and  the  beings,  putting  on  their  owl-coats, 
flew  away  with  him  under  some  trees  by  the  trail 
that  led  to  Matsaki  and  the  Ant  Hill  of  the  Middle. 

Then  they  flew  over  the  lake,  and  threw  the 
medicine  of  sleep  in  at  the  windows,  and  taking 
the  plumed  prayer-sticks  which  the  young  man  had 
brought  with  him,  they  chose  some  red  plumes  for 
themselves,  and  with  the  others  entered  the  home 
of  the  Kdkd.  Softly  they  flew  over  the  sleeping 
fathers  and  their  children  (the  gods  of  the  Kdkd 
and  the  spirits)  and,  laying  the  prayer-plumes  be 
fore  the  great  altar,  caught  up  the  beautiful  maiden 
and  bore  her  over  the  waters  and  woodlands  to 
where  the  young  man  was  still  sleeping.  Then 
they  hooted  and  flew  off  to  their  mountain. 


32  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

As  the  great  star  came  out  of  the  dayland,  the 
young  man  awoke,  and  lo  !  there  before  him  lay 
his  own  beautiful  wife.  Then  he  turned  his  face 
away  that  he  might  not  be  tempted,  and  waited 
with  joy  and  longing  for  the  coming  out  of  the 
sun.  When  at  last  the  sun  came  out,  with  the 
first  ray  that  brightened  the  beautiful  maiden's 
face,  she  opened  her  eyes  and  gazed  wildly  around 
at  first,  but  seeing  her  lonely  lover,  smiled,  and 
said  :  "  Truly,  thou  lovest  me  !  " 

Then  they  arose  and  journeyed  apart  toward  the 
home  of  their  fathers,  and  the  young  man  forgot 
not  the  counsel  of  the  Owl,  but  journeyed  wisely, 
till  on  the  fourth  day  they  came  in  sight  of  the 
Mountain  of  Thunder  and  saw  the  river  that  flows 
by  Salt  City. 

As  they  began  to  go  down  into  the  valley,  the 
maiden  stopped  and  said  :  "  Hahud,  I  am  weary, 
for  the  journey  is  long  and  the  day  is  warm." 
Then  she  sat  down  in  the  shadow  of  a  cedar  and 
said  :  "  Watch,  my  husband,  while  I  sleep  a  little ; 
only  a  little,  and  then  we  will  journey  together 
again."  And  he  said  :  "  Be  it  well." 

Then  she  lay  down  and  seemed  to  sleep.  She 
smiled  and  looked  so  beautiful  to  the  longing  lover 
that  he  softly  rose  and  crept  close  to  her.  Then, 
alas  !  he  laid  his  hand  upon  her  and  kissed  her. 

Quickly  the  beautiful  maiden  started.  Her  face 
was  all  covered  with  sadness,  and  she  said,  hastily 
and  angrily :  "  Ah,  thou  shameless  fool  !  I  now 
know  !  Thou  lovest  me  not  !  How  vain  that  I 
should  have  hoped  for  thy  love  !  " 


The  Trial  of  Lovers 


33 


With  shame,  indeed,  and  sorrow,  he  bent  his 
head  low  and  covered  his  face  with  his  hands. 
Then  he  started  to  speak,  when  an  Owl  flew  up 
and  hooted  mournfully  at  him  from  a  tree-top. 
Then  the  Owl  winged  her  way  to  the  westward, 
and  ever  after  the  young  man's  mind  wandered. 

Alas  !  alas  !  Thus  it  was  in  the  days  of  the 
ancients.  Maybe  had  the  young  man  not  kissed 
her  yonder  toward  the  Lake  of  the  Dead,  we 
would  never  have  journeyed  nor  ever  have 
mourned  for  others  lost.  But  then  it  is  well  !  If 
men  and  women  had  never  died,  then  the  world 
long  ago  had  overflown  with  children,  starvation, 
and  warring. 

Thus  shortens  my  story. 


THE  YOUTH  AND  HIS  EAGLE 

IN  forgotten  times,  in  the  days  of  our  ancients,  at 
the  Middle  Place,  or  what  is  now  Shiwina 
(Zufii),  there  lived  a  youth  who  was  well  grown,  or 
perfect  in  manhood.  He  had  a  pet  Eagle  which 
he  kept  in  a  cage  down  on  the  roof  of  the  first 
terrace  of  the  house  of  his  family.  He  loved  this 
Eagle  so  dearly  that  he  could  not  endure  to  be 
separated  from  it ;  not  only  this,  but  he  spent 
nearly  all  his  time  in  caring  for  and  fondling  his 
pet.  Morning,  noon,  and  evening,  yea,  and  even 
between  those  times,  you  would  see  him  going 
down  to  the  eagle-cage  with  meat  and  other  kinds 
of  delicate  food.  Day  after  day  there  you  would 
find  him  sitting  beside  the  Eagle,  petting  it  and 
making  affectionate  speeches,  to  all  of  which  treat 
ment  the  bird  responded  with  a  most  satisfied  air, 
and  seemed  equally  fond  of  his  owner. 

Whenever  a  storm  came  the  youth  would  hasten 
out  of  the  house,  as  though  the  safety  of  the  crops 
depended  upon  it,  to  protect  the  Eagle.  So,  win 
ter  and  summer,  no  other  care  occupied  his  atten 
tion.  Corn-field  and  melon-garden  was  this  bird 
to  this  youth  ;  so  much  so  that  his  brothers,  elder 
and  younger,  and  his  male  relatives  generally, 
looked  down  upon  him  as  negligent  of  all  manly 
duties,  and  wasteful  of  their  substance,  which  he 
helped  not  to  earn  in  his  excessive  care  of  the 
bird.  Naturally,  therefore,  they  looked  with  aver- 

34 


The  Youth  and  his  Eagle  35 

sion  upon  the  Eagle  ;  and  one  evening,  after  a 
hard  day's  work,  after  oft-repeated  remonstrances 
with  the  youth  for  not  joining  in  their  labors,  they 
returned  home  tired  and  out  of  humor,  and,  climb 
ing  the  ladder  of  the  lower  terrace,  passed  the 
great  cage  on  their  way  into  the  upper  house. 
They  stopped  a  moment  before  entering,  and  one 
of  the  eldest  of  the  party  exclaimed  :  u  We  have 
remonstrated  in  vain  with  the  younger  brother  ; 
we  have  represented  his  duties  to  him  in  every 
possible  light,  yet  without  effect.  What  remains 
to  be  done  ?  What  plans  can  we  devise  to  alienate 
him  from  this  miserable  Eagle  ?  " 

"  Why  not  kill  the  wretched  bird?"  asked  one 
of  them.  "  That,  I  should  say,  would  be  the  most 
simple  means  of  curing  him  of  his  infatuation." 

"  That  is  an  excellent  plan,"  exclaimed  all  of  the 
brothers  as  they  went  on  into  the  house ;  "  we 
must  adopt  it." 

The  Eagle,  apparently  so  unconscious,  heard  all 
this,  and  pondered  over  it.  Presently  came  the 
youth  with  meat  and  other  delicate  food  for  his 
beloved  bird,  and,  opening  the  wicket  of  the  gate, 
placed  it  within  and  bade  the  Eagle  eat.  But  the 
bird  looked  at  him  and  at  the  food  with  no  apparent 
interest,  and,  lowering  its  head  on  its  breast,  sat 
moody  and  silent. 

"Are  you  ill,  my  beloved  Eagle? "asked  the 
youth,  '"  or  why  is  it  that  you  do  not  eat  ?  " 

"  I  do  not  care  to  eat,"  said  the  Eagle,  speaking 
for  the  first  time.  "  I  am  oppressed  with  much 
anxiety." 


36  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

"  Do  eat,  my  beloved  Eagle,"  said  the  youth. 
"  Why  should  you  be  sad  ?  Have  I  neglected 
you?" 

"  No,  indeed,  you  have  not,"  said  the  Eagle. 
"  For  this  reason  I  love  you  as  you  love  me ;  for 
this  reason  I  prize  and  cherish  you  as  you  cherish 
me ;  and  yet  it  is  for  this  very  reason  that  I  am 
sad.  Look  you  !  Your  brothers  and  relatives  have 
often  remonstrated  with  you  for  your  neglect  of 
their  fields  and  your  care  for  me.  They  have  often 
been  angered  with  you  for  not  bearing  your  part  in 
the  duties  of  the  household.  Therefore  it  is  that 
they  look  with  reproach  upon  you  and  with  aver 
sion  upon  me,  so  much  so  that  they  have  at  last  deter 
mined  to  destroy  me  in  order  to  do  away  with  your 
affection  for  me  and  to  withdraw  your  attention. 
For  this  reason  I  am  sad, — not  that  they  can  harm 
me,  for  I  need  but  spread  my  wings  when  the  wicket 
is  opened,  and  what  can  they  do  ?  But  I  would  not 
part  from  you,  for  I  love  you.  I  would  not  that 
you  should  part  with  me,  for  you  love  me.  There 
fore  am  I  sad,  for  I  must  go  tomorrow  to  my  home 
in  the  skies,"  said  the  Eagle,  again  relapsing  into 
moody  silence. 

"  Oh,  my  beloved  bird !  my  own  dear  Eagle, 
how  could  I  live  without  you  ?  How  could  I  re 
main  behind  when  you  went  forward,  below  when 
you  went  upward  ?  "  exclaimed  the  youth,  already 
beginning  to  weep.  "  No  !  Go,  go,  if  it  need  be, 
alas  !  but  let  me  go  with  you,"  said  the  youth. 

"  My  friend  !  my  poor,  poor  youth ! "  said  the 
Eagle,  "  you  cannot  go  with  me.  You  have  not 


The  Youth  and  his  Eagle  37 

wings  to  fly,  nor  have  you  knowledge  to  guide  your 
course  through  the  high  skies  into  other  worlds 
that  you  know  not  of0" 

"  Let  me  go  with  you,"  cried  the  youth,  falling 
on  his  knees  by  the  side  of  the  cage.  "  I  will 
comfort  you,  I  will  care  for  you,  even  as  I  have 
done  here  ;  but  live  without  you  I  cannot ! " 

"  Ah,  my  youth,"  said  the  Eagle,  "  I  would  that 
you  could  go  with  me,  but  the  end  would  not  be 
well.  You  know  not  how  little  you  love  me  that 
you  wish  to  do  this  thing.  Think  for  a  moment  ! 
The  foods  that  my  people  eat  are  not  the  foods  of 
your  people  ;  they  are  not  ripened  by  fire  for  our 
consumption,  but  whatever  we  capture  abroad  on 
our  measureless  hunts  we  devour  as  it  is,  asking  no 
fire  to  render  it  palatable  or  wholesome.  You 
could  not  exist  thus." 

"  My  Eagle  !  my  Eagle  ! "  cried  the  youth.  "  If 
I  were  to  remain  behind  when  you  went  forward, 
or  below  when  you  went  upward,  food  would  be  as 
nothing  to  me  ;  and  were  it  not  better  that  I  should 
eat  raw  food,  or  no  food,  than  that  I  should  stay 
here,  excessively  and  sadly  thinking  of  you,  and 
thus  never  eat  at  all,  even  of  the  food  of  my  own 
people  ?  No,  let  me  go  with  you  !  " 

"  Once  more  I  implore  you,  my  youth,"  said  the 
Eagle,  "  not  to  go  with  me,  for  to  your  own  un 
doing  and  to  my  sadness  will  such  a  journey  be 
undertaken." 

"  Let  me  go,  let  me  go  !  Only  let  me  go  ! "  im 
plored  the  youth. 

"  It  is  said,"  replied  the  Eagle  calmly.      "  Even 


38  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

as  you  wish,  so  be  it.  Now  go  unto  your  own 
home  for  the  last  time  ;  gather  large  quantities  of 
sustaining  food,  as  for  a  long  journey.  Place  this 
food  in  strong  pouches,  and  make  them  all  into  a 
package  which  you  can  sling  upon  your  shoulder 
or  back.  Then  come  to  me  tomorrow  morning, 
after  the  people  have  begun  to  descend  to  their 
fields." 

The  youth  bade  good-night  to  his  Eagle  and 
went  into  the  house.  He  took  of  parched  flour  a 
great  quantity,  of  dried  and  pulverized  wafer- 
bread  a  large  bag,  and  of  other  foods,  such  as  hunt 
ers  carry  and  on  which  they  sustain  themselves 
long,  he  took  a  good  supply,  and  made  them  all 
into  a  firm  package.  Then,  with  high  hopes  and 
much  thought  of  the  morrow,  he  laid  himself  to 
rest.  He  slept  late  into  the  morning,  and  it  was 
not  until  his  brothers  had  departed  for  their  fields 
of  corn  that  he  arose  ;  and,  eating  a  hasty  breakfast, 
slung  the  package  of  foods  over  his  shoulders  and 
descended  to  the  cage  of  the  Eagle.  The  great 
bird  was  waiting  for  him.  With  a  smile  in  its  eyes 
it  came  forth  when  he  opened  the  wicket,  and, 
settling  down  on  the  ground,  spread  out  its  wings 
and  bade  the  youth  mount. 

"  Sit  on  my  back,  for  it  is  strong,  oh  youth  ! 
Grasp  the  base  of  my  wings,  and  rest  your  feet 
above  my  thighs,  that  you  may  not  fall  off.  Are 
you  ready  ?  Ah,  well.  And  have  you  all  needful 
things  in  the  way  of  food  ?  Good.  Let  us  start 
on  our  journey." 

Saying  this,  the  Eagle  rose  slowly,  circling  wider 


The  Youth  and  his  Eagle  39 

and  wider  as  it  went  up,  and  higher  and  higher,  un 
til  it  had  risen  far  above  the  town,  going  slowly. 
Presently  it  said  :  "  My  youth,  I  will  sing  a  farewell 
song  to  your  people  for  you  and  for  me,  that  they 
may  know  of  our  final  departure."  Then,  as  with 
great  sweeps  of  its  wings  it  circled  round  and 
round,  going  higher  and  higher,  it  sang  this  song : 

"  Huli-i-i—  Huli-i-i— 

Pa  shish  lakwa-a-a — 
U-u-u-u — 
U-u-u-u-a  ! 

Pa  shish  lakwa-a-a — 

U-u-u-u — 
U-u-u-u-a  !  " 

As  the  song  floated  down  from  on  high,  "  Save 
us  !  By  our  eyes  !  "  exclaimed  the  people.  "  The 
Eagle  and  the  youth  !  They  are  escaping  ;  they 
are  leaving  us  ! " 

And  so  the  word  went  from  mouth  to  mouth, 
and  from  ear  to  ear,  until  the  whole  town  was 
gazing  at  the  Eagle  and  the  youth,  and  the  song 
died  away  in  the  distance,  and  the  Eagle  became 
smaller  and  smaller,  winding  its  way  upward  until 
it  was  a  mere  speck,  and  finally  vanished  in  the 
very  zenith. 

The  people  shook  their  heads  and  resumed  their 
work,  but  the  Eagle  and  the  youth  went  on  until 
at  last  they  came  to  the  great  opening  in  the 
zenith  of  the  sky.  In  passing  upward  by  its  end 
less  cliffs  they  came  out  on  the  other  side  into 
the  sky-world  ;  and  still  upward  soared  the  Eagle, 


40  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

until  it  alighted  with  its  beloved  burden  on  the 
summit  of  the  Mountain  of  Turquoises,  so  blue 
that  the  light  shining  on  it  paints  the  sky  blue. 

"  Huhua  !  "  said  the  Eagle,  with  the  weariness 
that  comes  at  the  end  of  a  long  journey.  "  We 
have  reached  our  journey's  end  for  a  time.  Let 
us  rest  ourselves  on  this  mountain  height  of  my 
beloved  world." 

The  youth  descended  and  sat  by  the  Eagle's 
side,  and  the  Eagle,  raising  its  wings  until  the 
tips  touched  above,  lowered  its  head,  and  catching 
hold  of  its  crown,  shook  it  from  side  to  side,  and 
then  drew  upon  it,  and  then  gradually  the  eagle- 
coat  parted,  and  while  the  youth  looked  and  won 
dered  in  love  and  joy,  a  beautiful  maiden  was 
uncovered  before  him,  in  garments  of  dazzling 
whiteness,  softness,  and  beauty.  No  more  beauti 
ful  maiden  could  be  conceived  than  this  one,  - 
bright  of  face,  clear  and  clean,  with  eyes  so  dark 
and  large  and  deep,  and  yet  sharp,  that  it  was  be 
wildering  to  look  into  them.  Such  eyes  have 
never  been  seen  in  this  world. 

"  Come  with  me,  my  youth — you  who  have  loved 
me  so  well,"  said  she,  approaching  him  and  reaching 
out  her  hand.  "  Let  us  wander  for  a  while  on  this 
mountain  side  and  seek  the  home  of  my  people." 

They  descended  the  mountain  and  wound  round 
its  foot  until,  looking  up  in  the  clear  light  of  the 
sky-world,  they  beheld  a  city  such  as  no  man  has 
ever  seen.  Lofty  were  its  walls, — smooth,  gleam 
ing,  clean,  and  white  ;  no  ladders,  no  smoke,  no 
filth  in  any  part  whatsoever. 


The  Youth  and  his  Eagle  41 

"  Yonder  is  the  home  of  my  people,"  said  the 
maiden,  and  resuming  her  eagle-dress  she  took  the 
youth  on  her  back  again,  and,  circling  upward, 
hovered  for  a  moment  over  this  home  of  the 
Eagles,  then,  through  one  of  the  wide  entrances 
which  were  in  the  roof,  slowly  descended.  No  lad 
ders  were  there,  inside  or  outside  ;  no  need  of  them 
with  a  people  winged  like  the  Eagles,  for  a  people 
they  were,  like  ourselves — more  a  people,  indeed, 
than  we,  for  in  one  guise  or  the  other  they  might 
appear  at  will. 

No  sooner  had  the  Eagle-maiden  and  the  youth ' 
entered  this  great  building  than  those  who  were 
assembled  there  greeted  them  with  welcome  assu 
rances  of  joy  at  their  coming.     *'  Sit  ye  down  and 
rest,"  said  they. 

The  youth  looked  around.  The  great  room  into 
which  they  had  descended  was  high  and  broad  and 
long,  and  lighted  from  many  windows  in  its  roof 
and  upon  its  walls,  which  were  beautifully  white 
and  clean  and  finished,  as  no  walls  in  this  world 
are,  with  many  devices  pleasing  to  the  eye.  Start 
ing  out  from  these  walls  were  many  hooks  or  pegs, 
suspended  from  which  were  the  dresses  of  the  Eagles 
who  lived  there,  the  forms  of  which  we  know. 

"  Yea,  sit  ye  down  and  rest  and  be  happy,"  said  an 
old  man.  Wonderfully  fine  he  was  as  he  arose 
and  approached  the  couple  and  said,  spreading 
abroad  his  wings  :  "  Be  ye  always  one  to  the  other 
wife  and  husband.  Shall  it  be  so  ?  " 

And  they  both,  smiling,  said  "  Yes."  And  so  the 
youth  married  the  Eagle-maiden. 


42  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

After  a  few  days  of  rest  they  found  him  an  eagle- 
coat,  fine  as  the  finest,  with  broad,  strong  wings, 
and  beautiful  plumage,  and  they  taught  him  how 
to  comform  himself  to  it  and  it  to  himself.  And  as 
Eagles  would  teach  a  young  Eagle  here  in  this 
world  of  ours,  so  they  taught  the  youth  gradually 
to  fly.  At  first  they  would  bid  him  poise  himself 
in  his  eagle-form  on  the  floor  of  their  great  room, 
and,  laying  all  over  it  soft  things,  bid  him  open  his 
wings  and  leap  into  the  air.  Anxious  to  learn,  he 
•»  would  spread  his  great  wings  and  with  a  powerful 
'  effort  send  himself  high  up  toward  the  ceiling  ;  but 
untaught  to  sustain  himself  there,  would  fall  with 
many  a  flap  and  tumble  to  the  floor.  Again  and 
again  this  was  tried,  but  after  a  while  he  learned  to 
sustain  and  guide  himself  almost  wholly  round  the 
room  without  once  touching  anything ;  and  his 
wife  in  her  eagle-form  would  fly  around  him,  watch 
ing  and  helping,  and  whenever  his  flight  wavered 
would  fan  a  strong  wind  up  against  his  wings  with 
her  own  that  he  might  not  falter,  until  he  had  at 
last  learned  wholly  to  support  himself  in  the  air. 
Then  she  bade  him  one  day  come  out  with  her  to 
the  roof  of  the  house,  and  from  there  they  sailed 
away,  away,  and  away  over  the  great  valleys  and 
plains  below,  ever  keeping  to  the  northward  and 
eastward  ;  and  whenever  he  faltered  in  his  flight 
she  bore  his  wings  up  with  her  own  wings,  teaching 
him  how,  this  way  and  that,  until,  when  they  returned 
to  the  roof,  those  who  watched  them  said  :  "  Now, 
indeed,  is  he  learned  in  the  ways  of  our  people. 
How  good  it  is  that  this  is  so  ! "  And  they  were 


The  Youth  and  his  Eagle  43 

very  happy,  the  youth  and  the  Eagle-maiden  and 
their  people. 

One  day  the  maiden  took  the  youth  out  again 
into  the  surrounding  country,  and  as  they  flew 
along  she  said  to  him  :  "  You  may  wonder  that  we 
never  fly  toward  the  southward.  Oh,  my  youth, 
my  husband  !  never  go  yonder,  for  over  that  low 
range  of  mountains  is  a  fearful  world,  where  no 
mortal  can  venture.  If  you  love  me,  oh,  if  you 
truly  love  me,  never  venture  yonder ! "  And  he 
listened  to  her  advice  and  promised  that  he  would 
not  go  there.  Then  they  went  home. 

One  day  there  was  a  grand  hunt,  and  he  was 
invited  to  join  in  it.  Over  the  wide  world  flew 
this  band  of  Eagle  hunters  to  far-away  plains. 
Whatsoever  they  would  hunt,  behold  !  below  them 
somewhere  or  other  might  the  game  be  seen,  were 
it  rabbit,  mountain  sheep,  antelope,  or  deer,  and 
each  according  to  his  wish  captured  the  kind  of 
game  he  would,  the  youth  bringing  home  with 
the  rest  his  quarry.  Of  all  the  game  they  cap 
tured  he  could  eat  none,  for  in  that  great  house  of 
the  Eagles,  so  beautiful,  so  perfect,  no  fire  ever 
burned,  no  cooking  was  ever  done.  And  after 
many  days  the  food  which  the  youth  brought  with 
him  was  diminished  so  that  his  wife  took  him  out 
to  a  high  mountain  one  day,  and  said  :  "  As  I  have 
told  you  before,  the  region  beyond  those  low 
mountains  is  fearful  and  deadly ;  but  yonder  in 
the  east  are  other  kinds  of  people  than  those 
whom  you  should  dread.  Not  far  away  is  the 
home  of  the  Pelicans  and  Storks,  who,  as  you 


44  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

know,  eat  food  that  has  been  cooked,  even  as  your 
people  do.  When  you  grow  hungry,  my  husband, 
go  to  them,  and  as  they  are  your  grandparents 
they  will  feed  you  and  give  you  of  their  abundance 
of  food,  that  you  may  bring  it  here,  and  thus  we 
shall  do  well  and  be  happy." 

The  youth  assented,  and,  guided  part  of  the 
way  by  his  faithful,  loving  wife,  he  went  to  the 
home  of  the  Storks.  No  sooner  had  he  appeared 
than  they  greeted  him  with  loud  assurances  of 
welcome  and  pleasure  at  his  coming,  and  bade  him 
eat.  And  they  set  before  him  bean-bread,  bean- 
stews,  beans  which  were  baked,  as  it  were,  and 
mushes  of  beans  with  meat  intermixed,  which 
seemed  as  well  cooked  as  the  foods  of  our  own 
people  here  on  this  mortal  earth.  And  the  youth 
ate  part  of  them,  and  with  many  thanks  returned 
to  his  home  among  the  Eagles.  And  thus,  as  his 
wife  had  said  before,  it  was  all  well,  and  they  con 
tinued  to  live  there  happily.1 

Between  the  villages  of  the  Eagles  and  the 
Storks  the  youth  lived ;  so  that  by-and-by  the 
Storks  became  almost  as  fond  of  him  as  were 
the  Eagles,  addressing  him  as  their  beloved  grand 
child.  And  in  consequence  of  this  fondness,  his 

1  This  curious  conception  of  the  food  of  the  storks  and  cranes  and  peli 
cans,  for  of  such  birds  the  folk-tale  tells,  is  interesting.  It  is  doubtless  an 
attempt  to  explain  what  has  been  observed  with  relation  to  the  pelicans 
and  the  storks  especially  :  that  they  consume  their  food  raw,  and,  as  the 
Indian  believes,  cook  it,  as  it  were,  in  their  own  bodies,  and  then  with 
draw  it,  either  for  their  young  or  for  their  final  consumption.  As  this 
semi-digested  food  of  such  birds  resembles  very  nearly  the  thick  bean 
stews  of  the  Zunis,  they  have  evidently  taken  from  it  the  suggestion  for 
the  special  kinds  of  food  which  were  offered  to  the  youth. 


The  Youth  and  his  Eagle  45 

old  grandfather  and  grandmother  among  the 
Storks  especially  called  his  attention  to  the  fearful 
region  lying  beyond  the  range  of  mountains  to  the 
south,  and  they  implored  him,  as  his  wife  had  done, 
not  to  go  thither.  "  For  the  love  of  us,  do  not  go 
there,  oh,  grandchild  ! "  said  they  one  day,  when 
he  was  about  to  leave. 

He  seemed  to  agree  with  them,  and  spread  his 
wings  and  flew  away.  But  when  he  had  gone  a 
long  distance,  he  turned  southward,  with  this  ex 
clamation  :  "  Why  should  I  not  see  what  this  is  ? 
Who  can  harm  me,  floating  on  these  strong  wings 
of  mine  ?  Who  can  harm  an  Eagle  in  the  sky  ?  " 
So  he  flew  over  the  edge  of  the  mountains,  and 
behold  !  rising  up  on  the  plains  beyond  them  was 
a  great  city,  fine  and  perfect,  with  walls  of  stone 
built  as  are  the  towns  of  our  dead  ancients.  And 
the  smoke  was  wreathing  forth  from  its  chimneys, 
and  in  the  hazy  distance  it  seemed  teeming  with 
life  at  the  moment  when  the  youth  saw  it,  which 
was  at  evening  time. 

.  The  inhabitants  of  that  city  saw  him  and  sent 
messages  forth  to  the  town  of  the  Eagles  that  they 
would  make  a  grand  festival  and  dance,  and 
invited  the  Eagles  to  come  with  their  friends  to 
witness  this  dance.  And  when  the  youth  returned 
to  the  home  of  his  Eagle  people,  behold  !  already 
had  this  message  been  delivered  there,  and  his 
wife  in  sorrow  was  awaiting  him  at  the  doorway. 

"  Alas  !  alas  !  my  youth  !  my  husband  !  "  said 
she.  "  And  so,  regarding  more  your  own  curiosity 
than  the  love  of  your  wife,  you  have  been  into  that 


46  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

fearful  country,  and  as  might  have  been  expected, 
you  were  observed.  We  are  now  invited  to  visit 
the  city  you  saw  and  to  witness  a  dance  of  the  in 
habitants  thereof,  which  invitation  we  cannot  re 
fuse,  and  you  must  go  with  us.  It  remains  to  be 
seen,  oh  my  youth,  whom  I  trusted,  if  your  love  for 
me  be  so  great  that  you  may  stand  the  test  of  this 
which  you  have  brought  upon  yourself,  by  heed- 
lessness  of  my  advice  and  that  of  your  grand 
parents,  the  Storks.  Oh,  my  husband,  I  despair  of 
you,  and  thus  despairing,  I  implore  you  to  heed  me 
once  more,  and  all  may  be  well  with  you  even  yet. 
Go  with  us  tonight  to  the  city  you  saw,  the  most 
fearful  of  all  cities,  for  it  is  the  city  of  the  damned, 
and  wonderful  things  you  will  see  ;  but  do  not 
laugh  or  even  smile  once.  I  will  sit  by  your  side 
and  look  at  you.  Oh,  think  of  me  as  I  do  of  you, 
and  thus  thinking  you  will  not  smile.  If  you  truly 
love  me,  and  would  remain  with  me  always,  and 
be  happy  as  I  would  be  happy,  do  this  one  thing 
for  me." 

The  youth  promised  over  and  over,  and  when 
night  came  he  went  with  the  Eagle  people  to  that 
city.  A  beautiful  place  it  was,  large  and  fine,  with 
high  walls  of  stone  and  many  a  little  window  out 
of  which  the  red  firelight  was  shining.  The  smoke 
was  going  up  from  its  chimneys,  the  sparks  winding 
up  through  it,  and,  with  beacon  fires  burning  on  the 
roofs,  it  was  a  happy,  bustling  scene  that  met  the 
gaze  of  the  youth  as  he  approached  the  town. 
There  were  sounds  and  cries  of  life  everywhere. 
Lights  shone  and  merriment  echoed  from  every 


The  Youth  anS  Kf§  ^agle '  J       47 

Xg«u^yx 

street  and  room,  and  they  were  ushered  into  a 
great  dance  hall,  or  kiwitsin,  where  the  audience 
was  already  assembled. 

By-and-by  the  sounds  of  the  coming  dance  were 
heard,  and  all  was  expectation.  The  fires  blazed  up 
and  the  lights  shone  all  round  the  room,  making  it 
as  bright  as  day.  In  came  the  dancers,  maidens 
mostly,  beautiful,  and  clad  in  the  richest  of  ancient 
garments ;  their  eyes  were  bright,  their  hair  black 
and  soft,  their  faces  gleaming  with  merriment  and 
pleasure.  And  they  came  joking  down  the  ladders 
into  the  room  before  the  place  where  the  youth  sat, 
and  as  they  danced  down  the  middle  of  the  floor 
they  cried  out  in  shrill,  yet  not  unpleasant  voices, 
as  they  jostled  each  other,  playing  grotesque 
pranks  and  assuming  the  most  laughter-stirring 
attitudes  : 

"Hapa!  hapa !  is!  is!  is!"  ("  Dead  !  dead! 
this  !  this  !  this  !  ") — pointing  at  one  another,  and 
repeating  this  baleful  expression,  although  so  beau 
tiful,  and  full  of  life  and  joy  and  merriment. 

Now,  the  youth  looked  at  them  all  through  this 
long  dance,  and  though  he  thought  it  strange  that 
they  should  exclaim  thus  one  to  another,  so  lively 
and  pretty  and  jolly  they  were,  he  was  nevertheless 
filled  with  amusement  at  their  strange  antics  and 
wordless  jokes.  Still  he  never  smiled. 

Then  they  filed  in  again  and  there  were  more 
dancers,  merrier  than  before,  and  among  them  were 
two  or  three  girls  of  surpassing  beauty  even  in  that 
throng  of  lovely  women,  and  one  of  them  looked  in 
a  coquettish  manner  constantly  toward  the  youth, 


48  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

directing  all  her  smiles  and  merriment  to  him  as 
she  pointed  round  to  her  companions,  exclaiming : 
"Hapa!  hapa !  is!  is!  is!" 

The  youth  grew  forgetful  of  everything  else  as 
he  leaned  forward,  absorbed  in  watching  this  girl 
with  her  bright  eyes  and  merry  smiles.  When, 
finally,  in  a  more  amusing  manner  than  before,  she 
jostled  some  merry  dancer,  he  laughed  outright 
and  the  girl  ran  forward  toward  him,  with  two 
others  following,  and  reaching  out,  grasped  his 
hands  and  dragged  him  into  the  dance.  The  Eagle- 
maiden  lifted  her  wings  and  with  a  cry  of  woe  flew 
away  with  her  people.  But  ah,  ah !  the  youth 
minded  nothing,  he  was  so  wild  with  merriment,  like 
the  beautiful  maidens  by  his  side,  and  up  and  down 
the  great  lighted  hall  he  danced  with  them,  joining 
in  their  uncouth  postures  and  their  exclamations,  of 
which  he  did  not  yet  understand  the  true  meaning — 
"Hapa!  hapa!  is!  is!  is!" 

By-and-by  the  fire  began  to  burn  low,  and  the 
maidens  said  to  him  :  "  Come  and  pass  the  night 
with  us  all  here.  Why  go  back  to  your  home  ?  Are 
we  not  merry  companions  ?  Ha  !  ha  !  ha  !  ha  ! 
Hapa  !  hapa  !  is  !  is  !  is  !  "  They  began  to  laugh 
and  jostle  one  another  again.  Thus  they  led  the 
youth,  not  unwillingly  on  his  part,  away  into  a 
far-off  room,  large  and  fine  like  the  others,  and 
there  on  soft  blankets  he  lay  himself  down,  and 
these  maidens  gathered  round  him,  one  pillowing 
his  head  on  her  arm,  another  smiling  down  into  his 
face,  another  sitting  by  his  side,  and  soon  he  fell 
asleep.  All  became  silent,  and  the  youth  slept  on. 


The  Youth  and  his  Eagle  49 

In  the  morning,  when  broad  daylight  had  come, 
the  youth  opened  his  eyes  and  started.  It  seemed 
as  though  there  were  more  light  than  there  should 
be  in  the  house.  He  looked  up,  and  the  room 
which  had  been  so  fine  and  finished  the  night  be 
fore  was  tottering  over  his  head  ;  the  winds  shrieked 
through  great  crevices  in  the  walls  ;  the  windows 
were  broken  and  wide  open  ;  sand  sifted  through  on 
the  wind  and  eddied  down  into  the  old,  barren  room. 
The  rafters,  dried  and  warped  with  age,  were  bend 
ing  and  breaking,  and  pieces  of  the  roof  fell  now  and 
then  when  the  wind  blew  more  strongly.  He  raised 
himself,  and  clammy  bones  fell  from  around  him  ; 
and  when  he  cast  his  eyes  about  him,  there  on  the 
floor  were  strewn  bones  and  skulls.  Here  and 
there  a  face  half  buried  in  the  sand,  with  eyes 
sunken  and  dried  and  patches  of  skin  clinging  to 
it,  seemed  to  glare  at  him.  Fingers  and  feet,  as  of 
mummies,  were  strewn  about,  and  it  was  as  if  the 
youth  had  entered  a  great  cemetery,  where  the  re 
mains  of  the  dead  of  all  ages  were  littered  about. 
He  lifted  himself  still  farther,  and  where  the  head 
of  one  maiden  had  lain  or  the  arms  of  another  had 
entwined  with  his,  bones  were  clinging  to  him. 
One  by  one  he  picked  them  off  stealthily  and  laid 
them  down,  until  at  last  he  freed  himself,  and,  ris 
ing,  cautiously  stepped  between  the  bones  which 
were  lying  around,  making  no  noise  until  he  came 
to  the  broken-down  doorway  of  the  place.  There, 
as  he  passed  out,  his  foot  tripped  against  a  splinter 
of  bone  which  was  embedded  in  the  debris  of  the 
ruin,  and  as  a  sliver  sings  in  the  wind,  so  this  sang 


50  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

out.  The  youth,  startled  and  terrorized,  sprang 
forth  and  ran  for  his  life  in  the  direction  of  the 
home  of  the  Storks.  Shrieking,  howling,  and 
singing  like  a  slivered  stick  in  the  wind,  like  creak 
ing  boughs  in  the  forest,  with  groans  and  howls 
and  whistlings  that  seemed  to  freeze  the  youth  as 
he  ran,  these  bones  and  fragments  of  the  dead 
arose  and,  like  a  flock  of  vampires,  pursued  him 
noisily. 

He  ran  and  ran,  and  the  great  cloud  of  the  dead 
were  coming  nearer  and  nearer  and  pressing  round 
[him,  when  he  beheld  one  of  his  grandparents,  a 
!  Badger,  near  its  hole.  The  Badger,  followed  by 
'others,  was  fast  approaching  him,  having  heard  this 
fearful  clamor,  and  cried  out :  "  Our  grandson ! 
Let 's  save  him  ! "  So  they  ran  forward  and,  catch 
ing  him  up,  cast  him  down  into  one  of  their 
holes.  Then,  turning  toward  the  uncanny  crowd  and 
bristling  up,  with  sudden  emotion  and  mighty  effort 
they  cast  off  that  odor  by  which,  as  you  know,  they 
may  defile  the  very  winds.  Thlitchiii!  it  met 
the  crowd  of  ghosts.  Thliwooo  !  the  whole  host 
of  them  turned  with  wails  and  howls  and  gnashings 
of  teeth  back  toward  the  City  of  the  Dead,  whence 
they  had  come.  And  the  Badgers  ran  into  the 
hole  where  lay  the  youth,  lifted  him  up,  and 
scolded  him  most  vigorously  for  his  folly. 

Then  they  said  :  "  Sit  up,  you  fool,  for  you  are 
not  yet  saved  !  Hurry  !  "  said  they,  one  to  another. 
"  Heat  water  ! "  And,  the  water  being  heated,  nau 
seating  herbs  and  other  medicines  were  mingled 
with  it,  and  the  youth  was  directed  to  drink  of  that. 


The  Youth  and  his  Eagle  51 

He  drank,  not  once,  but  four  times.  Ukch,  usa ! 
— and  after  he  had  been  thus  treated  the  old  Badgers 
asked  him  if  he  felt  relieved  or  well,  and  the  youth 
said  he  was  very  well  compared  with  what  he  had 
been. 

Then  they  stood  him  up  in  their  midst  and  said 
to  him :  "  You  fool  and  faithless  lout,  why  did 
you  go  and  become  enamored  of  Death,  however 
beautiful?  It  is  only  a  wonder  that  with  all  our 
skill  and  power  we  have  saved  you  thus  far.  It 
will  be  a  still  greater  wonder,  O  foolish  one,  if  she 
who  loved  you  still  loves  you  enough  after  this 
faithlessness  to  save  the  life  which  you  have  for 
feited.  Who  would  dance  and  take  joy  in  Death  ? 
Go  now  to  the  home  of  your  grandparents,  the 
Storks,  and  there  live.  Your  plumage  gone,  your 
love  given  up,  what  remains  ?  You  can  neither  de 
scend  to  your  own  people  below  without  wings, 
nor  can  you  live  with  the  people  of  the  Eagles 
without  love.  Go,  therefore,  to  your  grandparents  ! " 

And  the  youth  got  up  and  dragged  himself  away 
to  the  home  of  the  Storks ;  but  when  he  arrived 
there  they  looked  at  him  with  downcast  faces  and 
reproached  him  over  and  over,  saying  :  "  There  is 
small  possibility  of  your  regaining  what  you  have 
forfeited, —  the  love  and  affection  of  your  wife." 

"  But  I  will  go  to  her  and  plead  with  her,"  said 
the  youth.  "  How  should  I  know  what  I  was 
doing  ?  " 

"  We  told  you  not  to  do  it,  and  you  heeded  not 
our  telling." 

So  the  youth  lagged  away  to  the  home  of  the 


52  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

Eagles,  where,  outside  that  great  house  with  high 
walls,  he  lingered,  moping  and  moaning.  The 
Eagles  came  and  went,  or  they  gathered  and  talked 
on  the  housetop,  but  no  word  of  greeting  did  they 
offer  him ;  and  his  wife,  at  last,  with  a  shiver  of 
disgust,  appeared  above  him  and  said :  "  Go  back  ! 
go  back  to  your  grandparents.  Their  love  you 
may  not  have  forfeited  ;  mine  you  have.  Go  back ! 
for  we  never  can  receive  you  again  amongst  us. 
Oh,  folly  and  faithlessness,  in  you  they  have  an 
example  ! " 

So  the  youth  sadly  returned  to  the  home  of  the 
Storks.  There  he  lingered,  returning  ever  and 
anon  to  the  home  of  the  Eagles  ;  but  it  was  as 
though  he  were  not  there,  until  at  last  the  elder 
Eagles,  during  one  of  his  absences,  implored  the 
Eagle-maid  to  take  the  youth  back  to  his  own 
home. 

"  Would  you  ask  me,  his  wife,  who  loved  him, 
now  to  touch  him  who  has  been  polluted  by  being 
enamored  of  Death  ?  "  asked  she. 

But  they  implored,  and  she  acquiesced.  So, 
when  the  youth  appeared  again  at  the  home  of  the 
Eagles,  she  had  found  an  old,  old  Eagle  dress,  many 
of  the  feathers  in  it  broken  ;  ragged  and  disrepu 
table  it  was,  and  the  wing-feathers  were  so  thin 
that  the  wind  whistled  through  them.  Descending 
with  this,  she  bade  him  put  it  on,  and  when  he  had 
done  so,  she  said :  "  Come  with  me  now,  according 
to  the  knowledge  in  which  we  have  instructed 
you." 

And  they  flew  away  to  the  summit  of  that  blue 


The  Youth  and  his  Eagle  53 

mountain,  and,  after  resting  there,  they  began 
to  descend  into  the  sky  which  we  see,  and  from 
that  downward  and  downward  in  very  narrow 
circles. 

Whenever  the  youth,  with  his  worn-out  wings, 
faltered,  the  wife  bore  him  up,  until,  growing  weary 
in  a  moment  of  remembrance  of  his  faithlessness, 
she  caught  in  her  talons  the  Eagle  dress  which  sus 
tained  him  and  drew  it  off,  bade  him  farewell  for 
ever,  and  sailed  away  out  of  sight  in  the  sky.  And 
the  youth,  with  one  gasp  and  shriek,  tumbled  over 
and  over  and  over,  fell  into  the  very  center  of  the 
town  in  which  he  had  lived  when  he  loved  his 
Eagle,  and  utterly  perished. 

Thus  it  was  in  the  times  of  the  ancients  ;  and  for 
this  reason  by  no  means  whatsoever  may  a  mortal 
man,  by  any  alliances  under  the  sun,  avoid  Death. 
But  if  one  would  live  as  long  as  possible,  one 
should  never,  in  any  manner  whatsoever,  remem 
bering  this  youth's  experience,  become  enamored 
of  Death. 

Thus  shortens  my  story. 


THE  POOR  TURKEY  GIRL 

LONG,  long  ago,  our  ancients  had  neither  sheep 
nor  horses  nor  cattle  ;  yet  they  had  domestic 
animals  of  various  kinds — amongst  them  Turkeys. 

In  Matsaki,  or  the  Salt  City,  there  dwelt  at  this 
time  many  very  wealthy  families,  who  possessed 
large  flocks  of  these  birds,  which  it  was  their  cus 
tom  to  have  their  slaves  or  the  poor  people  of  the 
town  herd  in  the  plains  round  about  Thunder 
Mountain,  below  which  their  town  stood,  and  on 
the  mesas  beyond. 

Now,  in  Matsaki  at  this  time  there  stood,  away 
out  near  the  border  of  the  town,  a  little  tumble 
down,  single-room  house,  wherein  there  lived  alone 
a  very  poor  girl, — so  poor  that  her  clothes  were 
patched  and  tattered  and  dirty,  and  her  person,  on 
account  of  long  neglect  and  ill-fare,  shameful  to 
look  upon,  though  she  herself  was  not  ugly,  but  had 
a  winning  face  and  bright  eyes  ;  that  is,  if  the  face 
had  been  more  oval  and  the  eyes  less  oppressed 
with  care.  So  poor  was  she  that  she  herded  Tur 
keys  for  a  living  ;  and  little  was  given  to  her  ex 
cept  the  food  she  subsisted  on  from  day  to  day,  and 
perhaps  now  and  then  a  piece  of  old,  worn-out 
clothing. 

o 

Like  the  extremely  poor  everywhere  and  at  all 
times,  she  was  humble,  and  by  her  longing  for  kind 
ness,  which  she  never  received,  she  was  made 
kind  even  to  the  creatures  that  depended  upon  her, 

54 


The  Poor  Turkey  Girl  55 

and  lavished  this  kindness  upon  the  Turkeys  she 
drove  to  and  from  the  plains  every  day.  Thus, 
the  Turkeys,  appreciating  thisrwere  very  obedient. 
They  loved  their  mistress  so  much  that  at  her  call 
they  would  unhesitatingly  come,  or  at  her  behest  go 
whithersoever  and  whensoever  she  wished. 

One  day  this  poor  girl,  driving  her  Turkeys  down 
into  the  plains,  passed  near  Old  Zufii, — the  Middle 
Ant  Hill  of  the  World,  as  our  ancients  have  taughn 
us  to   call   our  home, —  and    as   she   went   along, ' 
she  heard  the  herald-priest   proclaiming  from  the 
house-top    that   the    Dance    of    the    Sacred    Bird 
(which  is  a  very  blessed  and  welcome  festival  to 
our  people,  especially  to  the  youths  and  maidens 
who  are  permitted  to  join  in  the  dance)  would  take 
place  in  four  days. 

Now,  this  poor  girl  had  never  been  permitted  to 
join  in  or  even  to  watch  the  great  festivities  of  our 
people  or  the  people  in  the  neighboring  towns,  and 
naturally  she  longed  very  much  to  see  this  dance. 
But  she  put  aside  her  longing,  because  she  re 
flected  ;  "  It  is  impossible  that  I  should  watch,  much 
less  join  in  the  Dance  of  the  Sacred  Bird,  ugly  and 
ill-clad  as  I  am."  And  thus  musing  to  herself,  and 
talking  to  her  Turkeys,  as  was  her  custom,  she  drove 
them  on,  and  at  night  returned  them  to  their  cages 
round  the  edges  and  in  the  plazas  of  the  town. 

Every  day  after  that,  until  the  day  named  for 
the  dance,  this  poor  girl,  as  she  drove  her  Turkeys 
out  in  the  morning,  saw  the  people  busy  in  cleaning 
and  preparing  their  garments,  cooking  delicacies, 
and  otherwise  making  ready  for  the  festival  to 


56  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

which  they  had  been  duly  invited  by  the  other  vil 
lagers,  and  heard  them  talking  and  laughing  mer 
rily  at  the  prospect  of  the  coming  holiday.  So,  as 
she  went  about  with  her  Turkeys  through  the  day, 
she  would  talk  to  them,  though  she  never  dreamed 
that  they  understood  a  word  of  what  she  was 
saying. 

It  seems  that  they  did  understand  even  more 
than  she  said  to  them,  for  on  the  fourth  day,  after 
the  people  of  Matsaki  had  all  departed  toward 
Zuni  and  the  girl  was  wandering  around  the 
plains  alone  with  her  Turkeys,  one  of  the  big  Gob 
blers  strutted  up  to  her,  and  making  a  fan  of  his 
tail,  and  skirts,  as  it  were,  of  his  wings,  blushed  with 
pride  and  puffed  with  importance,  stretched  out 
his  neck  and  said :  "  Maiden  mother,  we  know 
what  your  thoughts  are,  and  truly  we  pity  you,  and 
wish  that,  like  the  other  people  of  Matsaki,  you 
might  enjoy  this  holiday  in  the  town  below.  We 
have  said  to  ourselves  at  night,  after  you  have 
placed  us  safely  and  comfortably  in  our  cages : 
'  Truly  our  maiden  mother  is  as  worthy  to  enjoy 
these  things  as  any  one  in  Matsaki,  or  even  Zuni.' 
Now,  listen  well,  for  I  speak  the  speech  of  all  the 
elders  of  my  people :  If  you  will  drive  us  in  early 
this  afternoon,  when  the  dance  is  most  gay  and 
the  people  are  most  happy,  we  will  help  you  to 
make  yourself  so  handsome  and  so  prettily  dressed 
that  never  a  man,  woman,  or  child  amongst  all 
those  who  are  assembled  at  the  dance  will  know 
you  ;  but  rather,  especially  the  young  men,  will 
wonder  whence  you  came,  and  long  to  lay  hold  of 


The  Poor  Turkey  Girl  57 

your  hand  in  the  circle  that  forms  round  the  altar 
to  dance.  Maiden  mother,  would  you  like  to  go 
to  see  this  dance,  and  even  to  join  in  it,  and 
be  merry  with  the  best  of  your  people  ?" 

The  poor  girl  was  at  first  surprised.  Then  it 
seemed  all  so  natural  that  the  Turkeys  should  talk 
to  her  as  she  did  to  them,  that  she  sat  down  on  a 
little  mound,  and,  leaning  over,  looked  at  them  and 
said  :  "  My  beloved  Turkeys,  how  glad  I  am  that  we 
may  speak  together !  But  why  should  you  tell  me 
of  things  that  you  full  well  know  I  so  long  to,  but 
cannot  by  any  possible  means,  do  ?  " 

"  Trust  in  us,"  said  the  old  Gobbler,  u  for  I  speak 
the  speech  of  my  people,  and  when  we  begin  to  call 
and  call  and  gobble  and  gobble,  and  turn  toward 
our  home  in  Matsaki,  do  you  follow  us,  and  we  will 
show  you  what  we  can  do  for  you.  Only  let  me 
tell  you  one  thing  :  No  one  knows  how  much  hap 
piness  and  good  fortune  may  come  to  you  if  you 
but  enjoy  temperately  the  pleasures  we  enable  you 
to  participate  in.  But  if,  in  the  excess  of  your  en 
joyment,  you  should  forget  us,  who  are  your  friends, 
yet  so  much  depend  upon  you,  then  we  will  think  : 
'  Behold,  this  our  maiden  mother,  though  so  hum 
ble  and  poor,  deserves,  forsooth,  her  hard  life, 
because,  were  she  more  prosperous,  she  would  be 
unto  others  as  others  now  are  unto  her.' ' 

"  Never  fear,  O  my  Turkeys,"  cried  the  maiden, 
— only  half  trusting  that  they  could  do  so  much  for 
her,  yet  longing  to  try, — "  never  fear.  In  every 
thing  you  direct  me  to  do  I  will  be  obedient  as  you 
always  have  been  to  me." 


58  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

The  sun  had  scarce  begun  to  decline,  when  the 
Turkeys  of  their  own  accord  turned  homeward,  and 
the  maiden  followed  them,  light  of  heart.  They 
knew  their  places  well,  and  immediately  ran  to 
them.  When  all  had  entered,  even  their  bare 
legged  children,  the  old  Gobbler  called  to  the  maiden, 
saying  :  "  Enter  our  house."  She  therefore  went 
in.  "  Now,  maiden,  sit  down,"  said  he,  "  and  give 
to  me  and  my  companions,  one  by  one,  your  articles 
of  clothing.  We  will  see  if  we  cannot  renew  them." 

The  maiden  obediently  drew  off  the  ragged  old 
mantle  that  covered  her  shoulders  and  cast  it  on 
the  ground  before  the  speaker.  He  seized  it  in  his 
beak,  and  spread  it  out,  and  picked  and  picked  at 
it  ;  then  he  trod  upon  it,  and  lowering  his  wings, 
began  to  strut  back  and  forth  over  it.  Then  tak 
ing  it  up  in  his  beak,  and  continuing  to  strut,  he 
puffed  and  puffed,  and  laid  it  down  at  the  feet 
of  the  maiden,  a  beautiful  white  embroidered  cot 
ton  mantle.  Then  another  Gobbler  came  forth, 
and  she  gave  him  another  article  of  dress,  and  then 
another  and  another,  until  each  garment  the  maiden 
had  worn  was  new  and  as  beautiful  as  any  pos 
sessed  by  her  mistresses  in  Matsaki. 

Before  the  maiden  donned  all  these  garments, 
the  Turkeys  circled  about  her,  singing  and  singing, 
and  clucking  and  clucking,  and  brushing  her  with 
their  wings,  until  her  person  was  as  clean  and  her 
skin  as  smooth  and  bright  as  that  of  the  fairest 
maiden  of  the  wealthiest  home  in  Matsaki.  Her 
hair  was  soft  and  wavy,  instead  of  being  an  ugly, 
sun-burnt  shock  ;  her  cheeks  were  full  and  dimpled, 


The  Poor  Turkey  Girl  59 

and  her  eyes  dancing  with  smiles, — for  she  now 
saw  how  true  had  been  the  words  of  the  Turkeys. 

Finally,  one  old  Turkey  came  forward  and  said  : 
"  Only  the  rich  ornaments  worn  by  those  who  have 
many  possessions  are  lacking  to  thee,  O  maiden 
mother.  Wait  a  moment.  We  have  keen  eyes, 
and  have  gathered  many  valuable  things, — as  such 
things,  being  small,  though  precious,  are  apt  to  be 
lost  from  time  to  time  by  men  and  maidens." 

Spreading  his  wings,  he  trod  round  and  round 
upon  the  ground,  throwing  his  head  back,  and  lay 
ing  his  wattled  beard  on  his  neck ;  and,  presently 
beginning  to  cough,  he  produced  in  his  beak  a 
beautiful  necklace  ;  another  Turkey  brought  forth 
earrings,  and  so  on,  until  all  the  proper  ornaments 
appeared,  befitting  a  well-clad  maiden  of  the  olden 
days,  and  were  laid  at  the  feet  of  the  poor  Turkey 
girl. 

With  these  beautiful  things  she  decorated  herself, 
and,  thanking  the  Turkeys  over  and  over,  she 
started  to  go,  and  they  called  out :  "  O  maiden 
mother,  ,  leave  open  the  wicket,  for  who  knows 
whether  you  will  remember  your  Turkeys  or  not 
when  your  fortunes  are  changed,  and  if  you  will 
not  grow  ashamed  that  you  have  been  the  maiden 
mother  of  Turkeys  ?  But  we  love  you,  and  would 
bring  you  to  good  fortune.  Therefore,  remember 
our  words  of  advice,  and  do  not  tarry  too  long." 

"  I  will  surely  remember,  O  my  Turkeys  ! "  an 
swered  the  maiden. 

Hastily  she  sped  away  down  the  river  path  to 
ward  Zuni.  When  she  arrived  there,  she  went  in 


60  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

at  the  western  side  of  the  town  and  through  one 
of  the  long  covered  ways  that  lead  into  the  dance 
court.  When  she  came  just  inside  of  the  court, 
behold,  every  one  began  to  look  at  her,  and  many 
murmurs  ran  through  the  crowd, —  murmurs  of 
astonishment  at  her  beauty  and  the  richness  of  her 
dress, —  and  the  people  were  all  asking  one  another, 
"  Whence  comes  this  beautiful  maiden  ?  " 

Not  long  did  she  stand  there  neglected.  The 
chiefs  of  the  dance,  all  gorgeous  in  their  holiday  at 
tire,  hastily  came  to  her,  and,  with  apologies  for 
the  incompleteness  of  their  arrangements, —  though 
these  arrangements  were  as  complete  as  they 
possibly  could  be, — invited  her  to  join  the  youths 
and  maidens  dancing  round  the  musicians  and  the 
altar  in  the  center  of  the  plaza. 

With  a  blush  and  a  smile  and  a  toss  of  her  hair 
over  her  eyes,  the  maiden  stepped  into  the  circle, 
and  the  finest  youths  among  the  dancers  vied  with 
one  another  for  her  hand.  Her  heart  became 
light  and  her  feet  merry,  and  the  music  sped  her 
breath  to  rapid  coming  and  going,  and  the  warmth 
swept  over  her  face,  and  she  danced  and  danced 
until  the  sun  sank  low  in  the  west. 

But,  alas  !  in  the  excess  of  her  enjoyment,  she 
thought  not  of  her  Turkeys,  or,  if  she  thought  of 
them,  she  said  to  herself,  "  How  is  this,  that  I 
should  go  away  from  the  most  precious  considera 
tion  to  my  flock  of  gobbling  Turkeys  ?  I  will  stay 
a  while  longer,  and  just  before  the  sun  sets  I  will 
run  back  to  them,  that  these  people  may  not  see 
who  I  am,  and  that  I  may  have  the  joy  of  hearing 


The  Poor  Turkey  Girl  61 

them  talk  day  after  day  and  wonder  who  the  girl 
was  who  joined  in  their  dance." 

So  the  time  sped  on,  and  another  dance  was 
called,  and  another,  and  never  a  moment  did  the 
people  let  her  rest;  but  they  would  have  her  in 
every  dance  as  they  moved  around  the  musicians 
and  the  altar  in  the  center  of  the  plaza. 

At  last  the  sun  set,  and  the  dance  was  well-nigh 
over,  when,  suddenly  breaking  away,  the  girl  ran 
out,  and,  being  swift  of  foot, —  more  so  than  most 
of  the  people  of  her  village, —  she  sped  up  the 
river  path  before  any  one  could  follow  the  course 
she  had  taken. 

Meantime,  as  it  grew  late,  the  Turkeys  began  to 
wonder  and  wonder  that  their  maiden  mother  did 
not  return  to  them.  At  last  a  gray  old  Gobbler 
mournfully  exclaimed,  "  It  is  as  we  might  have  ex 
pected.  She  has  forgotten  us ;  therefore  is  she 
not  worthy  of  better  things  than  those  she  has 
been  accustomed  to.  Let  us  go  forth  to  the 
mountains  and  endure  no  more  of  this  irksome 
captivity,  inasmuch  as  we  may  no  longer  think  our 
maiden  mother  as  good  and  true  as  once  we 
thought  her." 

So,  calling  and  calling  to  one  another  in  loud 
voices,  they  trooped  out  of  their  cage  and  ran  up 
toward  the  Canon  of  the  Cottonwoods,  and  then 
round  behind  Thunder  Mountain,  through  the 
Gateway  of  Zuni,  and  so  on  up  the  valley. 

All  breathless,  the  maiden  arrived  at  the  open 
wicket  and  looked  in.  Behold,  not  a  Turkey  was 
there  !  Trailing  them,  she  ran  and  she  ran  up  the 


62  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

valley  to  overtake  them ;  but  they  were  far  ahead, 
and  it  was  only  after  a  long  time  that  she  came 
within  the  sound  of  their  voices,  and  then,  re 
doubling  her  speed,  well-nigh  overtook  them,  when 
she  heard  them  singing  this  song : 

"  K  'yaanaa,  to  !  to  ! 
K  'yaanaa,  to  !  to  ! 

Ye  ye! 

K^yaanaa,  to!  to  f 

K'yaanaa,  to!  to! 

Yee  hull  hull! 

"  Hon  aw  en  Tsita 
Itiwanakwin 

Otakyaan  aaa  kyaa  ; 
Lesna  akyaaa 
Shoya-Koskwi 
Teyathltokw'in 

Hon  aawani  ! 

"  Ye  yee  huli  hull, 
Tot-tot,  tot-tot,  tot-tot, 

Huli  huli! 
Tot-tot,  tot-tot,  tot-tot, 

Huli  huli!"1 

"  Up  the  river,  to  !  to  ! 
Up  the  river,  to  !  to  ! 

Sing  ye  ye  ! 
Up  the  river,  to  !  to  ! 
Up  the  river,  to  !  to  ! 

Sing  yee  huli  huli! 

"  Oh,  our  maiden  mother 
To  the  Middle  Place 

To  dance  went  away  ; 

1  This,  like  all  the  folk-songs,  is  difficult  of  translation  ;  and  that  which  is 
given  is  only  approximate. 


The  Poor  Turkey  Girl  63 

Therefore  as  she  lingers, 
To  the  Canon  Mesa 
And  the  plains  above  it 
We  all  run  away  ! 

"  Sing  ye  yee  huli  huli, 
Tot- tot,  tot-tot,  tot-tot, 

Huli  huli! 
Tot-tot,  tot-tot,  tot-tot, 

Huli  huli!" 

Hearing  this,  the  maiden  called  to  her  Turkeys ; 
called  and  called  in  vain.  They  only  quickened 
their  steps,  spreading  their  wings  to  help  them 
along,  singing  the  song  over  and  over  until, 
indeed,  they  came  to  the  base  of  the  Canon  Mesa, 
at  the  borders  of  the  Zuni  Mountains.  Then 
singing  once  more  their  song  in  full  chorus,  they 
spread  wide  their  wings,  and  thlakwa-a-a,  thlakwa- 
a-a,  they  fluttered  away  over  the  plains  above. 

The  poor  Turkey  girl  threw  her  hands  up  and 
looked  down  at  her  dress.  With  dust  and  sweat, 
behold  !  it  was  changed  to  what  it  had  been,  and 
she  was  the  same  poor  Turkey  girl  that  she  was  be 
fore.  Weary,  grieving,  and  despairing,  she  re 
turned  to  Matsaki. 

Thus  it  was  in  the  days  of  the  ancients.  There 
fore,  where  you  see  the  rocks  leading  up  to  the 
top  of  Cafton  Mesa  (Shoya-k'oskwi),  there  are  the 
tracks  of  turkeys  and  other  figures  to  be  seen. 
The  latter  are  the  song  that  the  Turkeys  sang, 
graven  in  the  rocks  ;  and  all  over  the  plains  along 
the  borders  of  Zuni  Mountains  since  that  day  turkeys 
have  been  more  abundant  than  in  any  other  place. 


64 


Zuni  Folk  Tales 


After  all,  the  gods  dispose  of  men  according  as 
men  are  fitted  ;  and  if  the  poor  be  poor  in  heart 
and  spirit  as  well  as  in  appearance,  how  will  they 
be  aught  but  poor  to  the  end  of  their  days  ? 

Thus  shortens  my  story. 


HOW  THE  SUMMER  BIRDS  CAME 

IN  the  days  of  the  ancients,  in  the  town  under 
Thunder  Mountain  called  K'iakime,  there  lived 
a  most  beautiful  maiden.  But  one  thing  which 
struck  the  people  who  knew  her  was  that  she 
seldom  came  forth  from  her  room,  or  went  out 
of  her  house  ;  never  seemed  to  care  for  the  people 
around  her,  never  seemed  to  care  to  see  the  young 
men  when  they  were  dancing. 

Now,  this  was  the  way  of  it.  Through  the  roof 
of  her  room  was  a  little  skylight,  open,  and  when 
it  rained,  one  of  the  Gods  of  the  Rain  descended  in 
the  rain-drops  and  wooed  this  maiden,  and  married 
her  all  unknown  to  her  people  ;  so  that  she  was  in 
his  company  every  time  it  rained,  and  when  the 
dew  fell  at  night,  on  his  ladder  of  water  descend 
ing  he  came,  and  she  was  very  happy,  and  cared 
not  for  the  society  of  men.  By-and-by,  behold ! 
to  the  utter  surprise  of  the  people,  whose  eyes 
could  not  see  this  god,  her  husband,  there  was  a 
little  boy  born  to  her. 

Now,  he  was  the  child  of  the  gods,  and,  there 
fore,  before  he  was  many  days  old,  he  had  begun  to 
run  about  and  speak,  and  had  wonderful  intelli 
gence  and  wonderful  strength  and  vivacity.  He 
was  only  a  month  or  two  old  when  he  was  like 
a  child  of  five  or  six  or  eight  years  of  age,  and  he 
would  climb  to  the  house-top  and  run  down  into 
the  plaza  and  out  around  the  village  hunting  birds 

65 


66  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

or  other  small  animals.  With  only  his  fingers  and 
little  stones  for  weapons,  he  never  failed  to  slay 
and  bring  home  these  little  creatures,  and  his 
mother's  house  was  supplied  more  than  any  other 
house  in  the  town  with  plumes  for  sacrifice,  from 
the  birds  which  he  captured  in  this  way. 

Finally  he  observed  that  the  older  men  of  the 
tribe  carried  bows  and  arrows,  and  that  the  arrows 
went  more  swiftly  and  straighter  than  the  stones 
he  threw  ;  and  though  he  never  failed  to  kill  small 
animals,  he  found  he  could  not  kill  the  larger  ones 
in  that  way.  So  he  said  to  his  mother  one  night : 
"  Oh,  mother,  where  does  the  wood  grow  that  they 
make  bows  of,  and  where  do  they  get  sticks  for 
their  arrows?  I  wish  you  would  tell  me." 

But  the  mother  was  quite  silent ;  she  did  n't  like 
to  tell  him,  for  she  thought  it  would  lead  him  away 
from  the  town  and  something  would  happen  to 
him.  But  he  kept  questioning  her  until  at  last, 
weary  with  his  importunities,  she  said  :  "  Well,  my 
little  boy,  if  you  go  round  the  cliff  here  to  the 
eastern  side,  there  is  a  great  hollow  in  the  rocks, 
and  down  at  the  bottom  of  that  hollow  is  a  great 
cave.  Now,  around  that  shelter  in  the  rocks  are 
growing  the  trees  out  of  which  bows  are  made,  and 
there  also  grow  the  bushes  from  which  arrows  are 
cut ;  they  are  so  plentiful  that  they  could  supply 
the  whole  town,  and  furnish  all  the  hunters  here 
with  bows  and  arrows  ;  but  they  cannot  get  them, 
because  in  the  cave  lives  a  great  Bear,  a  very  sav 
age  being,  and  no  one  dares  go  near  there  to  get 
timber  for  the  bows  or  sticks  for  the  arrows,  be- 


How  the  Summer  Birds  Came          67 

cause  the  Bear  would  surely  devour  whoever  ven 
tured  there.  He  has  devoured  many  of  our  people  ; 
therefore  you  must  not  go  there  to  get  these 
arrows." 

"  No,  indeed,"  said  the  boy.  But  at  night  he  lay 
down  with  much  in  his  mind,  and  was  so  thought 
ful  that  he  hardly  slept  the  whole  night.  He  was 
planning  what  he  would  do  in  the  morning. 

The  next  morning  his  mother  was  busy  about 
her  work,  and  finally  she  went  down  to  the  spring 
for  some  water,  and  the  little  boy  slipped  out  of 
the  house,  ran  down  the  ladder,  went  to  the  river 
side,  stooped  down,  and  crawled  along  the  bank  of 
the  river,  until  he  could  get  around  on  the  side  of 
the  cliff  where  the  little  valley  of  the  spring  that 
flows  under  Thunder  Mountain  lies.  There  he 
climbed  up  and  up  until  he  came  to  the  shelter 
in  the  rocks  round  on  the  eastern  side  of  Thunder 
Mountain.  The  mouth  of  this  hollow  was  entirely 
closed  with  fine  yellow-wood  and  oak,  the  best 
timber  we  have  for  bows,  and  straight  sprouts 
were  growing  everywhere  out  of  which  arrows 
could  be  made. 

"  Ah,  this  must  be  the  place,"  said  the  boy, 
as  he  looked  at  it.  "  I  don't  see  any  Bear.  I 
think  I  will  climb  up  and  see  if  there  is  anything 
to  be  afraid  of,  and  try  if  I  can  cut  a  stick  before 
the  Bear  comes  out." 

He  started  and  climbed  into  the  mouth  of  the 
cavern,  and  his  father,  one  of  the  Gods  of  the 
Rain,  threw  a  tremendous  shaft  of  lightning,  and  it 
thundered,  and  the  cave  closed  together. 


68  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

"Ha!"  cried  the  boy.  "What  in  the  world  is 
the  meaning  of  this  ? "  Then  he  stood  there  a 
moment,  and  presently  the  clouds  finished  and  the 
cave  opened,  and  all  was  quiet.  He  started  to  go 
in  once  more,  and  down  came  the  lightning  again, 
to  remind  him  that  he  should  not  go  in  there. 

"  Ha  ! "  cried  the  boy  again.  "  What  in  the 
world  does  it  mean  ?  "  And  he  rubbed  his  eyes, — 
it  had  rather  stunned  him, — and  so  soon  as  it  had 
cleared  away  he  tried  again,  and  again  for  the 
fourth  time. 

Finally  the  god  said,  "  Ah  !  I  have  reminded 
him  and  he  does  not  heed.  He  must  go  his  own 
way."  So  the  boy  climbed  into  the  cave. 

No  sooner  had  he  got  in  than  it  began  to  get 
dark,  and  Wah !  came  the  Bear  on  his  hind  legs 
and  grabbed  the  boy  and  began  to  squeeze  him 
very  tight. 

"  O  my  !  O  my  !  "  cried  he.  "  Don't  squeeze 
me  so  hard!  It  hurts;  don't  squeeze  me  so  hard! 
My  mother  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  women 
you  ever  saw  !  " 

"Hollo!"  exclaimed  the  Bear.  "What  is  that 
you  say  ?  " 

"  My  mother  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  women 
you  ever  saw  !  " 

"  Indeed  ! "  said  the  Bear,  as  he  relaxed  his  hold. 
"  My  son,  sit  down.  What  did  you  come  to  my 
house  for?  I  am  sure  you  are  very  welcome." 

"Why,"  said  the  boy,  "I  came  to  get  a  piece 
of  wood  for  a  bow  and  sticks  for  arrows." 

Said  the  Bear,  "  I  have  looked  out  for  this  tim- 


How  the  Summer  Birds  Came         69 

her  for  a  long  time.  There  is  none  better  in  the 
whole  country.  Let  me  tell  you  what  I  will  do. 
You  don't  look  very  strong.  You  have  n't  any 
thing  to  cut  the  trees  down  with.  I  will  go  myself 
and  cut  down  a  tree  for  you.  I  will  pick  out  a 
good  one  for  a  bow ;  not  only  that,  but  I  will  get 
fine  sticks  for  arrows,  too." 

So  he  stalked  off  into  the  forest,  and  crack, 
crack,  he  smashed  the  trees  down,  and,  picking 
out  a  good  one,  gnawed  off  the  ends  of  it  and 
brought  it  to  the  boy,  then  gathered  a  lot  of  fine 
straight  sticks  for  arrow-shafts  and  brought  them. 

"  There,"  said  he,  "  take  those  home.  Do  you 
know  how  to  make  a  bow,  my  son  ?  " 

"  No,  I  don't  very  well,"  replied  he. 

"  Well,"  said  the  Bear,  "  I  have  cut  off  the  ends ; 
make  it  about  that  length.  Now  take  it  home,  and 
shave  down  the  inside  until  it  is  thin  enough  to  bend 
quickly  at  both  ends,  and  lay  it  over  the  coals  of 
fire  so  it  will  get  hard  and  dry.  That  is  the  way  to 
make  a  good  bow." 

"  All  right,"  said  the  boy  ;  and  as  he  took  up  the 
bundle  of  sticks  and  the  stave  for  the  bow,  he  said : 
"  Just  come  along  toward  night  and  I  will  introduce 
you  to  my  mother." 

"  All  right,"  said  the  old  Bear ;  "  I  will  be  along 
just  about  sunset.  Then  I  can  look  at  your  bow 
and  see  whether  you  have  made  it  well  or  not." 

So  the  boy  trudged  home  with  his  bundle  of  sticks 
and  his  bow  stave,  and  when  he  arrived  there  his 
mother  happened  to  be  climbing  out,  and  saw  him 
coming. 


70  Zufii  Folk  Tales 

"  You  wretched  boy,"  she  said,  "  I  told  you  not 
to  go  out  to  the  cave  !  I  warrant  you  have  been 
there  where  the  Bear  stays  !  " 

11  Oh,  yes,  my  mother ;  just  see  what  I  have 
brought,"  said  the  boy.  "  I  sold  you  to  the  Bear. 
He  will  be  here  to  get  you  this  evening.  See  what 
I  have  brought ! "  and  he  laid  out  his  bow-timber 
and  arrow-shafts. 

"  Oh,"  said  she,  "you  are  the  most  wretched  and 
foolish  of  little  boys  ;  you  pay  no  attention  to  what 
any  one  says  to  you  ;  your  mother's  word  is  nothing 
but  wind  in  your  ears." 

"  Just  see  what  I  have  brought  home,"  said  he. 
He  worked  as  hard  as  he  could  to  make  his  bow, 
stripped  the  arrow-shafts,  smoothed  and  straight 
ened  them  before  the  fire,  and  made  the  points  of 
obsidian — very  black  it  is  ;  very  hard  and  sharp 
were  the  points  when  he  placed  them  on  the  arrows. 
Now,  after  placing  the  feathers  on  the  arrows,  he 
stood  them  up  on  the  roof  of  the  house  against  the 
parapet  in  the  sunlight  to  dry  ;  and  he  had  his  bow 
on  the  other  side  of  the  house  against  the  other 
parapet  to  dry.  He  was  still  at  work,  toward  sun 
set,  when  he  happened  to  look  up  and  saw  the  Bear 
coming  along,  slowly,  comfortably,  rolling  over  the 
sand. 

"  Ah  !  "  said  he,  "  the  old  man  is  coming."  He 
paid  no  attention  to  him,  however. 

Presently  the  Bear  came  close  to  the  ladder,  and 
shook  it  to  see  if  it  was  strong  enough  to  hold 
him. 

"  Thou  comest  ?  "  asked  the  boy. 


How  the  Summer  Birds  Came          71 

"  Yes,"  said  the  Bear.  "  How  have  you  been  all 
day?" 

"  Happy,"  said  the  boy. 

"  How  is  your  mother?" 

"  Happy,"  said  the  boy,  "  expecting  you." 

So  the  old  Bear  climbed  up.  "  Ah,  indeed,"  said 
he,  as  he  got  over  the  edge  of  the  house,  "  have 
you  made  the  bow  ?  " 

"  Yes,  after  a  fashion." 

So  the  Bear  went  over,  raised  himself  on  his  hind 
feet,  looked  at  the  bow,  pulled  it,  and  said,  as  he 
laid  it  down  :  "  It  is  a  splendid  bow.  What  is  this 
black  stuff  on  these  arrows  ?  " 

"  Obsidian,"  answered  the  boy. 

"  These  points  are  nothing  but  black  coals,"  said 
the  Bear. 

"  I  tell  you,"  said  the  boy,  "  they  are  good,  black, 
flint  arrow-heads,  hard  and  sharp  as  any  others." 

"  No,"  said  the  other,  "  nothing  but  coals." 

"  Now,  suppose  you  let  me  try  one  of  those  coals 
on  you,"  said  the  boy. 

"  All  right,"  said  the  Bear.  He  walked  over  to 
the  other  side  of  the  roof  and  stood  there,  and  the 
boy  took  one  of  the  arrows,  fitted  it  to  the  bow,  and 
let  go.  It  went  straight  into  the  heart  of  the  Bear, 
and  even  passed  through  him  entirely. 

11  Wah  ! "  uttered  the  Bear,  as  he  gave  a  great  snort 
and  rolled  over  on  the  house-top  and  died. 

"  Ha,  ha  !"  shouted  the  boy,  "what  you  had  in 
tended  to  do  unto  me,  thus  unto  you  !  Oh,  mother  ! " 
called  he,  as  he  ran  to  the  sky-hole,  "  here  is  your 
husband ;  come  and  see  him.  I  have  killed  him  ; 


72  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

but,  then,  he  would  have  me  make  the  experiment," 
said  the  boy. 

"  Oh,  you  foolish,  foolish,  disobedient  boy  ! "  said 
the  mother.  "  What  have  you  been  doing  now  ? 
Are  we  safe  ?  " 

"  Oh,  yes,"  said  he  ;  "  my  step-father  is  as  passive 
as  if  he  were  asleep."  And  he  went  on  and  skinned 
his  once  prospective  step-father,  and  then  took  out 
his  heart  and  hung  it  to  the  cross-piece  of  the  ladder 
as  a  sign  that  the  people  could  go  and  get  all  the 
bow-timber  and  arrows  they  pleased. 

That  night,  after  the  evening  meal  was  over,  the 
boy  sat  down  with  his  mother,  and  he  said  :  "  By 
the  way,  mother,  are  there  any  monsters  or  fearful 
creatures  anywhere  round  about  this  country  that 
kill  people  and  make  trouble  ?  " 

"  No,"  said  the  mother,  "  none  whatever." 

"  I  don't  know  about  that ;  I  think  there  must 
be,"  said  the  boy. 

"  No,  there  are  none  whatever,  I  tell  you,"  an 
swered  the  mother. 

The  boy  began  to  tumble  on  the  floor,  rolling 
about,  playing  with  his  mother's  blankets,  and 
throwing  things  around,  and  once  in  a  while  he 
would  ask  her  again  the  same  question,  until  finally 
she  got  very  cross  with  him  and  said  :  "  Yes,  if  you 
want  to  know,  down  there  in  the  valley,  beyond 
the  great  plains  of  sagebrush,  is  a  den  of  Misho 
Lizards  who  are  fearful  and  deadly  to  every  one  who 
goes  near  them.  Therefore  you  had  better  be 
careful  how  you  run  round  the  valley." 

"  What  makes  them  so  fearful  ?  "  asked  he. 


How  the  Summer  Birds  Came          73 

"Well,"  said  she,  ''they  are  venomous;  they 
have  a  way  of  throwing  from  their  mouths  or 
breath  a  sort  of  fluid  which,  whenever  it  strikes  a 
person,  burns  him,  and  whenever  it  strikes  the  eyes 
it  blinds  them.  A  great  many  people  have  per 
ished  there.  Whenever  a  man  arrives  at  their  den 
they  are  very  polite  and  greet  him  most  courteously  ; 
they  say :  *  Come  in ;  sit  down  right  here  in  the 
middle  of  the  floor  before  the  fire.'  But  as  soon 
as  the  person  is  seated  in  their  house  they  gather 
round  the  walls  and  throw  this  venom  on  him,  and 
he  dies  almost  immediately." 

"  Is  it  possible  ?  "  responded  the  little  boy  ;  and 
for  some  reason  or  other  he  began  to  grow  sleepy, 
and  said  :  "  Now,  let  us  go  to  sleep,  mother." 

So  he  lay  down  and  slept.  Just  as  soon  as  it 
was  light  the  next  morning  he  aroused  himself, 
dressed,  took  his  bow  and  arrows,  and,  placing 
them  in  a  corner  near  the  ladder,  said :  "  Oh, 
mother,  give  me  my  breakfast ;  I  want  to  go  and 
shoot  some  little  birds.  I  would  like  to  have  some 
roasted  birds  for  dinner." 

She  gave  him  his  breakfast  as  quickly  as  she 
could,  and  he  ran  down  the  ladder  and  went  to 
shooting  at  the  birds,  until  he  happened  to  see  that 
his  mother  and  others  were  out  of  sight ;  then  he 
skulked  into  the  sagebrush  and  went  as  straight  as 
he  could  for  the  den  of  the  Misho  Lizards.  There 
happened  to  be  two  young  ones  sunning  themselves 
outside,  and  they  said  : 

"  Ah,  my  fine  little  fellow,  glad  to  see  you  this 
morning.  Come  in,  come  in  ;  the  old  ones  will 


74  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

be  very  much  pleased  to  entertain  you.  Come 
in!" 

"  Thank  you,"  said  the  boy.  He  walked  in,  but 
he  felt  under  his  coat  to  see  if  a  huge  lump  of  rock 
salt  he  had  was  still  there. 

"  Sit  right  down  here,"  said  the  old  people.  The 
whole  den  was  filled  with  these  Misho  Lizards,  and 
they  were  excessively  polite,  every  one  of  them. 

The  boy  sat  down,  and  the  old  Misho  said  to  the 
young  ones  :  "  Hurry  up,  now  ;  be  quick  !  "  And 
they  began  to  throw  their  venom  at  him,  and  con 
tinued  until  he  was  all  covered  with  it ;  but,  know 
ing  beforehand,  and  being  the  child  of  the  gods,  he 
was  prepared  and  protected,  and  it  did  him  no 
harm. 

"  Thank  you,  thank  you,"  said  the  boy.  "  I  will 
do  the  same  thing.  Then  he  pulled  out  the  salt 
and  pushed  it  down  into  the  fire,  where  it  exploded 
and  entirely  used  up  the  whole  council  of  Misho 
Lizards. 

"  There  ! "  cried  the  boy.  "  Thus  would  you  have 
done  unto  me,  thus  unto  you." 

He  took  two  fine  ones  and  cut  out  their  hearts, 
then  started  for  home.  When  he  arrived  there,  he 
climbed  the  ladder  and  suspended  the  two  hearts 
beside  that  of  the  Bear  and  went  down  into  the 
house,  saying,  "  Well,  mother,  is  dinner  ready  ?  " 

"  There  now,"  said  she,  "  I  know  it.  I  saw  you 
hang  those  hearts  up.  You  have  been  down  there." 

"Yes,"  said  he,  "they  are  all  gone — every  soli 
tary  one  of  them." 

"  Oh,  you  foolish,  foolish,  disobedient  fellow !     I 


How  the  Summer  Birds  Came          75 

am  all  alone  in  the  world,  and  if  you  should  go  to 
some  of  those  fearful  places  some  time  and  not 
come  back,  who  would  hunt  for  me  ?  What  should 
I  do  ?  "  said  the  mother. 

"  Don't  be  troubled,  mother,  now,"  said  the  boy. 
"  I  don't  think  I  will  go  any  more.  There  is 
nothing  else  of  that  kind  around,  is  there,  mother  ?  " 

"  No,  there  is  not,"  she  replied ;  "  not  a  thing. 
There  may  be  somewhere  in  the  world,  but  there 
is  not  anywhere  here." 

In  the  evening,  as  he  sat  with  his  mother,  the 
boy  kept  questioning  and  teasing  her  to  tell  him 
of  some  other  monsters — pulling  on  her  skirts  and 
repeating  his  questions. 

11 1  tell  you,"  she  said,  "there  are  no  such  crea 
tures." 

11  Oh,  mother,  I  know  there  are,"  said  he,  "  and 
you  must  tell  me  about  them." 

So  he  continued  to  bother  her  until  her  patience 
gave  out,  and  she  told  him  of  another  monster. 
Said  she  :  "  If  you  follow  that  canon  down  to  the 
southeast,  there  is  a  very,  very,  very  high  cliff 
there,  and  the  trail  that  goes  over  that  cliff  runs 
close  by  the  side  of  a  precipice.  Now,  that  has 
been  for  ages  a  terrible  place,  for  there  is  a  Giant 
living  there,  who  wears  a  hair-knot  on  his  forehead. 
He  lies  there  at  length,  sunning  himself  at  his 
ease.  He  is  very  good-natured  and  very  polite. 
His  legs  stretch  across  the  trail  on  which  men 
have  to  go  who  pass  that  way,  and  there  is  no 
other  way  to  get  by.  And  whenever  a  man  tries 
to  go  by  that  trail,  he  says  :  *  Pass  right  along, 


76  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

pass  right  along ;  I  am  glad  to  see  you.  Here  is 
a  fresh  trail ;  some  one  has  just  passed.  Don't 
disturb  me  ;  I  am  sunning  myself.'  Down  below 
is  the  den  where  his  children  live,  and  on  the  flesh 
of  these  people  he  feeds  them." 

"  Mercy  !  "  exclaimed  the  boy.  "  Fearful !  I  never 
shall  go  there,  surely.  That  is  too  terrible ! 
Come,  let  us  go  to  sleep  ;  I  don't  want  to  hear 
anything  more  about  it." 

But  the  next  morning,  just  as  soon  as  daylight 
appeared,  he  got  up,  dressed  himself,  and  snatched 
a  morsel  of  food. 

His  mother  said  to  him  :  "  Where  are  you  go 
ing  ?  Are  you  thinking  of  that  place  I  told  you 
about  ? " 

"  No,  "  said  he  ;  "I  am  going  to  kill  some  prairie- 
dogs  right  here  in  sight.  I  will  take  my  war-club." 

So  he  took  his  war-club,  and  thrust  it  into  his 
belt  in  front,  ran  down  the  hill  on  which  the  vil 
lage  stood,  and  straightway  went  off  to  the  place 
his  mother  had  told  him  of.  When  he  reached 
the  top  of  the  rocks  he  looked  down,  and  there, 
sure  enough,  lay  the  Giant  with  the  forehead  knot. 

The  Giant  looked  up  and  said:  "Ah,  my  son, 
glad  to  see  you  this  morning ;  glad  to  see  you 
coming  so  early.  Some  one  just  passed  here  a 
little  while  ago ;  you  can  see  his  tracks  there." 

"  Well,"  said  the  boy,  "  make  room  for  me." 

"Oh,  just  step  right  over,"  said  the  old  man; 
"  step  right  over  me." 

"  I  can  't  step  over  your  great  legs,"  said  the 
boy  ;  "  draw  them  up." 


How  the  Summer  Birds  Came         77 

"  All  right,"  said  the  old  Demon.  So  he  drew 
his  knees  up.  "  There,  now,  there  is  plenty  of 
room ;  pass  right  along,  my  son." 

Just  as  the  boy  got  near  the  place,  he  thrust 
out  his  leg  suddenly  that  way,  to  kick  him  off  the 
cliff ;  but  the  boy  was  too  nimble  for  him,  and 
jumped  aside. 

44  Oh,  dear  me,"  cried  the  Monster;  "I  had  a 
stitch  in  my  leg ;  I  had  to  stretch  it  out." 

"  Ah,"  said  the  boy,  "you  tried  to  kick  me  off, 
did  you  ?  " 

"  Oh,  no,"  said  the  old  villain  ;  "  I  had  a  terrible 
stitch  in  my  knee," — and  he  began  to  knead  his 
knee  in  the  most  vehement  manner.  "Just  pass 
right  along ;  I  trust  it  won't  happen  again." 

The  boy  again  attempted  to  pass,  and  the  same 
thing  happened  as  before. 

"  Oh,  my  knee !  my  knee ! "  exclaimed  the 
Monster. 

"  Yes,  your  knee,  your  knee  ! "  said  the  boy, 
as  he  whipped  out  his  war-club  and  whacked  the 
Giant  on  the  head  before  he  had  time  to  recover 
himself.  "  Thus  unto  me  you  would  have  done, 
thus  unto  you  ! "  said  the  boy. 

No  sooner  had  the  Giant  fallen  than  the  little 
Top-knots  gathered  round  him  and  began  to  eat ; 
and  they  ate  and  ate  and  ate, — there  were  many 
of  them,  and  they  were  voracious — until  they 
came  to  the  top-knot  on  the  old  fellow's  head, 
and  then  one  of  them  cried  ;  "  Oh,  dear,  alas  and 
alas  !  this  is  our  own  father  !  " 

And  while   they  were  still  crying,  the  boy  cut 


78  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

out  the  Giant's  heart  and  slung  it  over  his 
shoulder ;  then  he  climbed  down  the  cliff  to  where 
the  young  Top-knots  were,  and  slew  them  all  except 
two, — a  pair  of  them.  Then  he  took  these  two, 
who  were  still  young,  like  little  children,  and  grasp 
ing  one  by  the  throat,  wrung  its  neck  and  threw 
it  into  the  air,  when  it  suddenly  became  a  winged 
creature,  and  spread  out  its  wings  and  soared 
away,  crying :  "  Peep,  peep,  peep,"  just  as  the  fal 
cons  of  today  do.  Then  he  took  the  other  one 
by  the  neck,  and  swung  it  round  and  round,  and 
flung  it  into  the  air,  and  it  flew  away  with  a  heavy 
motion,  and  cried  :  "  Boohoo,  boohoo,  boohoo  ! " 
and  became  an  owl. 

"  Ah,"  said  the  boy,  "born  for  evil,  changed  for  * 
good  !     Ye  shall  be  the  means  whereby  our  chil 
dren    in    the   future    shall    sacrifice   to   the    gods 
themselves." 

Then  he  trudged  along  home  with  the  Giant's 
heart,  and  when  he  got  there,  he  hung  it  on  the 
cross-piece  of  the  ladder  by  the  side  of  the  other 
hearts.  It  was  almost  night  then. 

"  There,  now  ! "  said  his  mother,  as  he  entered 
the  house ;  "  I  have  been  troubled  almost  to  death 
by  your  not  coming  home  sooner.  You  went  off 
to  the  place  I  told  you  of ;  I  know  you  did  ! " 

"  Ha  !  "  said  he,  "  of  course  I  did.  I  went  up 
there,  and  the  poor  fellows  are  all  dead." 

"  Why  will  you  not  listen  to  me  ?"  said  she. 

"  Oh,  it  is  all  right,  mother,"  said  the  boy.  "  It 
is  all  right."  She  went  on  scolding  him  in  the 
usual  fashion,  but  he  paid  no  attention  to  her. 


How  the  Summer  Birds  Came          79 

As  soon  as  she  had  sat  down  to  her  evening 
tasks,  he  asked  :  "  Now,  is  there  any  other  of  these 
terrible  creatures  ?  " 

"Well,  I  shall  tell  you  of  nothing  more  now," 
said  she. 

"  Why,  is  there  anything  more  ?"  asked  the  boy. 
"  No,  there  is  not,"  replied  she. 
"Ah,  mother,  I  think  there  must  be." 
"  No  ;  there  is  nothing  more,  I  tell  you." 
"  Ah,  mother,  I  think  there  must  be." 
And  he  kept  bothering  and  teasing  until    she 
told   him    again  (she   knew  she  would  have  to)  : 
"  Yes,  away  down  in  the  valley,  some  distance  from 
here,  near  the  little  Cold-making  Hill,  there  lives  a 
fearful    creature,  a  four-fold    Elk  or    Bison,  more 
enormous   than  any  other  living  thing.     Awiteli 
Wakashi  he  is  called,  and  no  one  can  go  near  him. 
He  rushes  stamping  and  bellowing  about  the  coun 
try,   and  people  never  pass  through  that  section 
from  fear." 

"  Ah,"  said  the  boy  ;  "don't  tell  me  any  more  ; 
he  must  be  a  fearful  creature,  indeed." 

"  Yes ;  but  you  will  be  sure  to  go  there," 
said  she. 

"Oh,  no,  no,  mother;  no,  indeed  !" 
But  the  next  morning  he  went  earlier  than  ever, 
carrying  with  him  his  bows  and  arrows.  He  was 
so  filled  with  dread,  however,  or  pretended  to  be, 
that  as  he  went  along  the  trail  he  began  to  cry 
and  sniffle,  and  walk  very  slowly,  until  he  came 
near  the  hole  of  an  old  Gopher,  his  grandfather. 
The  old  fellow  was  working  away,  digging  another 


8o  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

cellar,  throwing  the  dirt  out,  when  he  heard  this 
crying.  Said  .he  :  "  That  is  my  grandson  ;  I  wonder 
what  he  is  up  to  now."  So  he  ran  and  stuck  his 
nose  out  of  the  hole  he  was  digging,  and  said : 
"  Oh,  my  grandchild,  where  are  you  going  ?  " 

The  boy  stopped  and  began  to  look  around. 

"  Right  here  !  right  here  ! "  cried  the  grand 
father,  calling  his  attention  to  the  hole.  "  Come, 
my  boy." 

The  boy  put  his  foot  in,  and  the  hole  enlarged, 
and  he  went  down  into  it. 

"  Now,  dry  your  eyes,  my  grandchild,  and  tell  me 
what  is  the  matter." 

"  Well,"  said  the  boy,  "  I  was  going  to  find  the 
four-fold  Bison.  I  wanted  to  take  a  look  at  him, 
but  I  am  frightened  !  " 

"  Why,  what  is  the  matter  ?  Why  do  you  not 
go  ?  "  said  the  Gopher. 

14  Well,  to  tell  you  the  truth,  I  thought  I  would 
try  to  kill  him,"  he  answered. 

"  Well,  I  will  do  what  I  can  to  help  ;  you  had 
better  not  try  to  do  it  alone.  Sit  here  com 
fortably  ;  dry  your  eyes,  and  I  will  see  what  I 
can  do." 

The  old  Gopher  began  to  dig,  dig,  dig  under 
the  ground  for  a  long  way,  making  a  fine  tunnel, 
and  packed  it  hard  on  the  top  and  sides  so  that  it 
would  not  fall  in.  He  finally  came  to  hear  the 
"thud,  thud,  thud"  of  the  heart  of  this  creature, 
where  it  was  lying,  and  dug  the  hole  up  to  that 
spot.  When  he  got  there  he  saw  the  long  layers 
of  hair  on  its  body,  where  no  arrow  could  pene- 


5%^ 

How  the  Summer  Birds  Came         81 

trate,  and  he  cut  the  hair  off,  so  that  the  skin 
showed  white.  Then  he  silently  stole  back  to 
where  the  boy  was  and  said  :  "  Now,  my  boy,  take 
your  bow  and  arrows  and  go  along  through  this 
hole  until  you  get  to  where  the  tunnel  turns  up 
ward,  and  then,  if  you  look  well,  you  will  see  a 
light  patch.  That  is  the  skin  next  the  heart  of 
the  four-fold  Bison.  He  is  sleeping  there.  You 
will  hear  the  'thud,  thud,  thud'  of  his  heart. 
Shoot  him  exactly  in  the  middle  of  that  place,  and 
then,  mind  you,  turn  around  and  run  for  your  life, 
and  the  moment  you  get  to  my  hole,  tumble  in, 
headforemost  or  any  way." 

So  the  boy  did  as  he  was  told — crawled  through 
the  tunnel  until  he  came  to  where  it  went  upward, 
saw  the  light  patch,  and  let  fly  an  arrow  with  all 
his  might,  then  rushed  and  scrambled  back  as  hard 
as  he  could.  With  a  roar  that  shook  the  earth  the 
four-fold  Bison  fell  over,  then  struggled  to  his  feet, 
snorted,  bellowed,  and  stuck  his  great  horn  into 
the  tunnel,  and  like  a  flash  of  fire  ripped  it  from 
end  to  end,  just  as  the  boy  came  tumbling  into  the 
deeper  hole  of  his  grandfather. 

"  Ah  !  "  exclaimed  the  Gopher. 

"He  almost  got  me,"  said  the  boy. 

"  Sit  still  a  moment  and  rest,  my  grandson,"  said 
the  Gopher.  "  He  didn't  catch  you.  I  will  go 
and  see  whether  he  is  dead." 

So  the  Gopher  stuck  his  nose  out  of  the  hole 
and  saw  there  a  great  heap  of  flesh  lying.  He 
went  out,  nosed  around,  and  smelt,  jumped  back, 
and  went  forward  again  until  he  came  to  the  end 


82  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

of  the  creature,  and  then  he  took  one  of  his  nails 
and  scratched  out  an  eye,  and  there  was  no  sign  of 
life.  So  he  ran  back  to  the  boy,  and  said  :  "  Yes, 
he  breathes  no  more  ;  you  need  not  fear  him  longer." 

"  Oh,  thank  you,  my  grandfather  !  "  said  the  boy. 
And  he  climbed  out,  and  laid  himself  to  work  to 
skin  the  beast.  He  took  off  its  great  thick  skin, 
and  cut  off  a  suitable  piece  of  it,  for  the  whole  pelt 
was  so  large  and  heavy  that  he  could  not  carry  it ; 
then  he  took  out  the  animal's  great  heart,  and 
finally  one  of  the  large  intestines  and  filled  it  with 
blood,  then  started  for  home.  He  went  slowly, 
because  his  load  was  so  heavy,  and  when  he  arrived 
he  hung  the  heart  on  the  ladder  by  the  side  of  the 
others,  and  dragged  the  pelt  to  the  sky-hole,  and 
nearly  scared  the  wits  out  of  his  mother  by  drop 
ping  it  into  the  room. 

"  Oh,  my  child,  now,  here  you  are !  Where  have 
you  been  ? "  cried  she.  "  I  warned  you  of  the 
place  where  the  four-fold  Bison  was ;  I  wonder 
that  you  ever  came  home." 

"  Ah,  the  poor  creature  !  "  said  the  boy  ;  "  he  is 
dead.  Just  look  at  this.  He  is  n't  handsome  any 
more  ;  he  is  n't  strong  and  large  any  more." 

"  Oh,  you  wretched,  wretched  boy  !  You  will 
be  the  death  of  me,  as  well  as  of  yourself,  some 
time,"  said  the  mother. 

"  No,  mother,"  said  the  boy ;  "  that  is  all  nonsense." 

That  evening  the  boy  said  to  his  mother  :  "  Now, 
mother,  is  there  anything  else  of  this  kind  left  ? 
If  there  is,  I  want  to  know  it.  Now,  don't  disap 
point  me  by  refusing  to  tell." 


How  the  Summer  Birds  Came          83 

"  Oh,  my  dear  son,"  said  she,  "  I  wish  you 
would  n't  ask  me  ;  but  indeed  there  is.  There  are 
terrible  birds,  great  Eagles,  fearful  Eagles,  living 
over  on  Shuntekia.  In  the  very  middle  of  an  enor 
mous  cliff  is  a  hollow  place  in  the  rocks  where  is 
built  their  nest,  and  there  are  their  young  ones. 
Day  after  day,  far  and  near,  they  catch  up  children 
and  young  men  and  women,  and  carry  them  away, 
never  more  to  be  seen.  These  birds  are  more 
terrible  than  all  the  rest,  because  how  can  one  get 
near  to  slay  them  ?  My  son,  I  do  hope  and  trust 
that  you  will  not  go  this  time, — but,  you  foolish 
little  boy,  I  see  that  you  will  go." 

"  Well,  mother,  let  us  go  to  sleep,  and  never 
mind  anything  about  it,"  said  the  boy. 

But  after  his  mother  had  gone  to  sleep,  he  took 
the  piece  of  rawhide  he  had  skinned  from  the  four 
fold  Bison,  and,  cutting  it  out,  made  himself  a  suit— 
a  green  rawhide  suit,  skin-tight  almost,  so  that  it 
was  perfectly  smooth.  Then  he  scraped  the  hair 
off,  greased  it  all  over,  and  put  it  away  inside  a 
blanket  so  that  it  would  not  dry.  In  the  morning, 
quite  early,  he  took  his  weapons,  and  taking  also 
his  rawhide  suit,  and  the  section  of  the  four-fold 
Bison's  intestine  which  he  had  filled  with  blood, 
he  ran  into  the  inlet,  and  across  it,  and  climbed 
the  mesa  near  the  Shuntekia  cliff.  When  he  came 
within  a  short  distance  of  the  nest  of  the  Eagles, 
he  stopped  and  slipped  on  his  rawhide  suit,  and  tied 
the  intestine  of  blood  round  his  neck,  like  a  sausage. 

Then  he  began  to  cry  and  shake  his  head,  and 
he  cried  louder  than  there  was  any  need  of  his 


84  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

doing  in  reality ;  for  presently  the  old  father  of 
the  Eagles,  who  was  away  up  in  the  sky,  just  a 
mere  speck,  heard  and  saw  him  and  came  swishing 
down  in  a  great  circle,  winding  round  and  round 
the  boy,  and  the  boy  looked  up  and  began  to  cry 
louder  still,  as  if  frightened  out  of  his  wits,  and 
finally  rolled  himself  up  like  a  porcupine,  and  threw 
himself  down  into  the  trail,  crying  and  howling 
with  apparent  fear.  The  Eagle  swooped  down  on 
him,  and  tried  to  grasp  him  in  his  talons,  and,  kopo 
kopooo,  his  claws  simply  slipped  off  the  rawhide 
coat.  Then  the  Eagle  made  a  fiercer  grab  at  him 
and  grew  angry,  but  his  claws  would  continually 
slip  off,  until  he  tore  a  rent  in  the  intestine  about 
the  boy's  neck,  and  the  blood  began  to  stream 
over  the  boy's  coat,  making  it  more  slippery  than 
ever.  When  the  Eagle  smelt  the  blood,  he  thought 
he  had  got  him,  and  it  made  him  fiercer  than  ever  ; 
and  finally,  during  his  struggling,  he  got  one  talon 
through  a  stitch  in  the  coat,  and  he  spread  out  his 
wings,  and  flew  up,  and  circled  round  and  round 
over  the  point  where  the  young  Eagles  nest  was, 
when  he  let  go  and  shook  the  boy  free,  and  the 
boy  rolled  over  and  over  and  came  down  into 
the  nest  ;  but  he  struck  on  a  great  heap  of  brush, 
which  broke  his  fall.  He  lay  there  quite  still,  and 
the  old  Eagle  swooped  down  and  poised  himself 
on  a  great  crag  of  rock  near  by,  which  was  his 
usual  perching  place. 

"  There,  my  children,  my  little  ones,"  said  he, 
"  I  have  brought  you  food.  Feast  yourselves  !  Feast 
yourselves  !  For  that  reason  I  brought  it." 


How  the  Summer  Birds  Came          85 

So  the  little  Eagles,  who  were  very  awkward, 
long-legged  and  short-winged,  limped  up  to  the 
boy  and  reached  out  their  claws  and  opened  their 
beaks,  ready  to  strike  him  in  the  face.  He  lay 
there  quite  still  until  they  got  very  near,  and  then 
said  to  them  :  "  Shhsht !  "  And  they  tumbled  back, 
being  awkward  little  fellows,  and  stretched  up  their 
necks  and  looked  at  him,  as  Eagles  will. 

Then  the  old  Eagle  said  :  "  Why  don't  you 
eat  him  ?  Feast  yourselves,  my  children,  feast 
yourselves  !  " 

So  they  advanced  again,  more  cautiously  this 
time,  and  a  little  more  determinedly  too  ;  and  they 
reached  out  their  beaks  to  tear  him,  and  he  said  : 
"  Shhsht !  "  and,  under  his  breath,  "  Don't  eat  me  !  " 
And  they  jumped  back  again. 

"  What  in  the  world  is  the  matter  with  you  little 
fools  ?  "  said  the  old  Eagle.  "  Eat  him  !  I  can  't  stay 
here  any  longer ;  I  have  to  go  away  and  hunt  to 
feed  you  ;  but  you  don't  seem  to  appreciate  my 
efforts  much."  And  he  lifted  his  wings,  rose  into 
the  air,  and  sailed  off  to  the  northward. 

Then  the  two  young  Eagles  began  to  walk  around 
the  boy,  and  to  examine  him  at  all  points.  Finally 
they  approached  his  feet  and  hands. 

"  Be  careful,  be  careful,  don't  eat  me !  Tell 
me  about  what  time  your  mother  comes  home," 
said  he,  sitting  up.  "  What  time  does  she  usually 
come  ?  " 

"Well,"  said  the  little  Eagles,  "she  comes  home 
when  the  clouds  begin  to  gather  and  throw  their 
shadow  over  our  nest."  (Really,  it  was  the  shadow 


86  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

of  the  mother  Eagle  herself  that  was  thrown  over 
the  nest.) 

"  Very  well,"  said  the  boy  ;  "  what  time  does  your 
father  come  home  ?  " 

"  When  the  fine  rain  begins  to  fall,"  said  they, 
meaning  the  dew. 

"  Oh,"  said  the  boy.  So  he  sat  there,  and  by-and- 
by,  sure  enough,  away  off  in  the  sky,  carrying  some 
thing  dangling  from  her  feet,  came  the  old  mother 
Eagle.  She  soared  round  and  round  until  she  was 
over  the  nest,  when  she  dropped  her  burden,  and 
over  and  over  it  fell  and  tumbled  into  the  nest,  a 
poor,  dead,  beautiful  maiden.  The  young  boy  looked 
at  her,  and  his  heart  grew  very  hot,  and  when  the 
old  Eagle  came  and  perched,  in  a  moment  he  let  fly 
an  arrow,  and  struck  her  down  and  dashed  her 
brains  out. 

"  Ha,  ha  ! "  exclaimed  the  boy.  "  What  you  have 
done  to  many,  thus  unto  you." 

Then  he  took  his  station  again,  and  by-and-by 
the  old  father  Eagle  came,  bearing  a  youth,  fair  to 
look  upon,  and  dropped  him  into  the  nest.  The 
young  boy  shut  his  teeth,  and  he  said  :  "  Thus  unto 
many  you  have  done,  and  thus  unto  me  you  would 
have  done ;  so  unto  you."  And  he  drew  an  arrow 
and  shot  him.  Then  he  turned  to  the  two  young 
Eagles  and  killed  them,  and  plucked  out  all  the 
beautiful  colored  feathers  about  their  necks,  until  he 
had  a  large  bundle  of  fine  plumes  with  which  he 
thought  to  wing  his  arrows  or  to  waft  his  prayers. 

Then  he  looked  down  the  cliff  and  saw  there  was 
no  way  to  climb  down,  and  there  was  no  way  to 


How  the  Summer  Birds  Came         87 

climb  up.  Then  he  began  to  cry,  and  sat  on  the 
edge  of  the  cliff,  and  cried  so  loud  that  the  old  Bat 
Woman,  who  was  gathering  cactus-berries  below,  or 
thought  she  was,  overheard  the  boy. 

Said  she  :  "  Now,  just  listen  to  that.  I  warrant  it 
is  my  fool  of  a  grandson,  who  is  always  trying  to 
get  himself  into  a  scrape.  I  am  sure  it  must  be  so. 
Phoo!  phoo!" 

She  spilled  out  all  the  berries  she  had  found  from 
the  basket  she  had  on  her  back,  and  then  labored  up 
to  where  she  could  look  over  the  edge  of  the  shelf. 

"  Yes,  there  you  are,"  said  she  ;  "  you  simpleton  ! 
you  wretched  boy  !  What  are  you  doing  here  ?  " 

"  Oh,  my  grandmother,"  said  he,  "  I  have  got  into 
a  place  and  I  cannot  get  out." 

"  Yes,"  said  she  ;  "  if  you  were  anything  else  but 
such  a  fool  of  a  grandson  and  such  a  hard-hearted 
wretch  of  a  boy,  I  would  help  you  get  down  ;  but 
you  never  do  as  your  mother  and  grandmother  or 
grandfathers  tell  you." 

"  Ah,  my  grandmother,  I  will  do  just  as  you  tell 
me  this  time,"  said  the  boy. 

"  Now,  will  you  ?"  said  she.  "  Now,  can  you  be 
certain  ? — will  you  promise  me  that  you  will  keep 
your  eyes  shut,  and  join  me,  at  least  in  your  heart, 
in  the  prayer  which  I  sing  when  I  fly  down  ?  Van 
lehalliah  kiana.  Never  open  your  eyes  ;  if  you  do, 
the  gods  will  teach  you  a  lesson,  and  your  poor  old 
grandmother,  too." 

"  I  will  do  just  as  you  tell  me,"  said  he,  as  he 
reached  over  and  took  up  his  plumes  and  held  them 
ready. 


88  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

"  Not  so  fast,  my  child,"  said  she  ;  "  you  must 
promise  me." 

"  Oh,  my  grandmother,  I  will  do  just  as  you  tell 
me,"  said  he. 

"  Well,  step  into  my  basket,  very  carefully  now. 
As  I  go  down  I  shall  go  very  prayerfully,  depend 
ing  on  the  gods  to  carry  so  much  more  than  I  usually 
carry.  Do  you  not  wink  once,  my  grandson." 

"  All  right ;  I  will  keep  my  eyes  shut  this  time," 
said  he.  So  he  sat  down  and  squeezed  his  eyes 
together,  and  held  his  plumes  tight,  and  then  the 
old  grandmother  launched  herself  forth  on  her 
skin  wings.  After  she  had  struggled  a  little,  she 
began  to  sing  : 

"  Ha  ash  tchaa  ni, — Ha  ash  tchaa  ni  : 
Tche  pa  naa, — thlen-thle. 

Thlen  !  Thlen  !  Thlen  !  " 

"  Now,  just  listen  to  that,"  said  the  boy ;  "  my 
old  grandmother  is  singing  one  of  those  tedious 
prayers  ;  it  will  take  us  forever  to  go  down." 

Then  presently  the  old  Bat  Woman,  perfectly 
unconscious  of  his  state  of  mind,  began  to  sing 

again  : 

"  Thlen  thla  kia  yai  na  Ida." 

"  There  she  goes  again,"  said  he  to  himself ;  "  I 
declare,  I  must  look  up  ;  it  will  drive  me  wild  to 
sit  here  all  this  time  and  hear  my  old  grandmother 
try  to  sing." 

Then,  after  a  little  while,  she  commenced  again  : 

"  Ha  ash  tchaa  ni, — Ha  ash  tchaa  ni : 
Tche  pa  naa, — thlen-thle. 

Thlen  !  Thlen  !  Thlen  !  " 


How  the  Summer  Birds  Came         89 

The  boy  stretched  himself  up,  and  said :  "  Look 
here,  grandmother !  I  have  heard  your  *  Thlen  / 
Thlen  /  Thlen  !  '  enough  this  time.  I  am  going  to 
open  my  eyes." 

"  Oh,  my  grandchild,  never  think  of  such  a 
thing."  Then  she  began  again  to  sing  : 

"  Ha  ash  tchaa  ni, — Ha  ash  tchaa  ni  : 
Tche  pa  naa, — thlen-thle. 

Thlen  !  Thlen  !  Thlen  !  " 

She  was  not  near  the  ground  when  she  finished 
it  the  fourth  time,  and  the  boy  would  not  stand 
it  any  more.  Lo  !  he  opened  his  eyes,  and  the  old 
grandmother  knew  it  in  a  moment.  Over  and 
over,  boy  over  bat,  bat  over  boy,  and  the  basket 
between  them,  they  went  whirling  and  pitching 
down,  the  old  grandmother  tugging  at  her  basket 
and  scolding  the  boy. 

"  Now,  you  foolish,  disobedient  one  !  I  told  you 
what  would  happen  !  You  see  what  you  have 
done  ! "  and  so  on  until  they  fell  to  the  ground. 
It  fairly  knocked  the  breath  out  of  the  boy,  and 
when  he  got  up  again  he  yelled  lustily. 

The  old  grandmother  picked  herself  up,  stretched 
herself,  and  cried  out  anew:  "You  wretched,  fool 
ish,  hard-hearted  boy  ;  I  never  will  do  anything 
for  you  again — never,  never,  never  !  " 

"  I  know,  my  grandmother,"  said  the  boy,  "  but 
you  kept  up  that  '  Thlen !  Thlen !  Thlen ! '  so 
much.  What  in  the  world  did  you  want  to  spend 
so  much  time  thlening,  thlening,  and  buzzing  round 
in  that  way  for  ?  " 


90  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

"Ah,  me!"  said  she,  "he  never  did  know  any 
thing — never  will  be  taught  to  know  anything." 

"  Now,"  said  she  to  him,  "  you  might  as  well 
come  and  eat  with  me.  I  have  been  gathering  cac 
tus-fruit,  and  you  can  eat  and  then  go  home."  She 
took  him  to  the  place  where  she  had  poured  out 
the  contents  of  the  basket,  but  there  was  scarcely  a 
cactus-berry.  There  Were  cedar-berries,  cones, 
sticks,  little  balls  of  dirt,  coyote-berries,  and  every 
thing  else  uneatable.  ' 

"  Sit  down,  my  grandson,  and  eat ;  strengthen 
yourself  after  your  various  adventures  and  ex 
ertions.  I  feel  very  weary  myself,"  said  she. 
And  she  took  a  nip  of  one  of  them  ;  but  the  boy 
could  n't  exactly  bring  himself  to  eat.  The  truth 
is,  the  old  woman's  eyes  were  bad,  in  the  same 
way  that  bats'  eyes  are  usually  bad,  and  she 
could  n't  tell  a  cactus-berry  from  anything  else 
round  and  rough. 

"  Well,  inasmuch  as  you  won't  eat,  my  grand 
son,"  said  she,  "  why,  I  can  't  conceive,  for  these  are 
very  good,  it  seems  to  me.  You  had  better  run 
along  home  now,  or  your  mother  will  be  killing 
herself  thinking  of  you.  Now,  I  have  only  one 
direction  to  give  you.  You  don't  deserve  any,  but 
I  will  give  you  one.  See  that  you  pay  attention  to 
it.  If  not,  the  worst  is  your  own.  You  have 
gathered  a  beautiful  store  of  feathers.  Now,  be 
very  careful.  Those  creatures  who  bore  those 
feathers  have  gained  their  lives  from  the  lives  of 
living  beings,  and  therefore  their  feathers  differ 
from  other  feathers.  Heed  what  I  say,  my  grand- 


How  the  Summer  Birds  Came         91 

son.  When  you  come  to  any  place  where  flowers 
are  blooming, — where  the  sunflowers  make  the 
field  yellow, — walk  round  those  flowers  if  you  want 
to  get  home  with  these  feathers.  And  when  you 
come  to  more  flowers,  walk  round  them.  If  you 
do  not  do  that,  just  as  you  came  you  will  go  back 
to  your  home." 

"  All  right,  my  grandmother,"  said  the  boy.  So, 
after  bidding  her  good-by,  he  trudged  away 
with  his  bundle  of  feathers  ;  and  when  he  came  to 
a  great  plain  of  sunflowers  and  other  flowers  he 
walked  round  them  ;  and  when  he  came  to  an 
other  large  patch  he  walked  round  them,  and  then 
another,  and  so  on  ;  but  finally  he  stopped,  for  it 
seemed  to  him  that  there  were  nothing  but  fields 
of  flowers  all  the  way  home.  He  thought  he  had 
never  seen  so  many  before. 

"  I  declare,"  said  he,  "  I  will  not  walk  round 
those  flowers  any  more.  I  will  hang  on  to  these 
feathers,  though." 

So  he  took  a  good  hold  of  them  and  walked  in 
amongst  the  flowers.  But  no  sooner  had  he  en 
tered  the  field  than  flutter,  flutter,  flutter,  little 
wings  began  to  fly  out  from  the  bundle  of  feathers, 
and  the  bundle  began  to  grow  smaller  and  smaller, 
until  it  wholly  disappeared.  These  wings  which 
flew  out  were  the  wings  of  the  Sacred  Birds  of 
Summerland,  made  living  by  the  lives  that  had 
supported  the  birds  which  bore  those  feathers,  and 
by  coming  into  the  environment  which  they  had  so 
loved,  the  atmosphere  which  flowers  always  bring 
of  summer. 


92  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

Thus  it  was,  my  children,  in  the  days  of  the  an 
cients,  and  for  that  reason  we  have  little  jay-birds, 
little  sparrows,  little  finches,  little  willow-birds,  and 
all  the  beautiful  little  birds  that  bring  the  summer, 
and  they  always  hover  over  flowers. 

"  My  friends  "  [said  the  story-teller],  "  that  is  the 
way  we  live.  I  am  very  glad,  otherwise  I  would 
not  have  told  the  story,  for  it  is  not  exactly  right 
that  I  should, — I  am  very  glad  to  demonstrate  to 
you  that  we  also  have  books ;  only  they  are  not 
books  with  marks  in  them,  but  words  in  our 
hearts,  which  have  been  placed  there  by  our 
ancients  long  ago,  even  so  long  ago  as  when  the 
world  was  new  and  young,  like  unripe  fruit.  And 
I  like  you  to  know  these  things,  because  people 
say  that  the  Zunis  are  dark  people."  * 

Thus  shortens  my  story. 

1  That  is,  people  in  the  dark — having  no  knowledge. 


Photo  by  A.  C.  Vroman 


WAIHUSIWA 


THE  SERPENT  OF  THE  SEA 

NOTE. — The  priest  of  the  K'iaklu  or  epic-ritual  of  Zuni  is  never  allowed 
to  initiate  the  telling  of  short  folk-stories.  If  he  make  such  a  beginning, 
he  must  complete  the  whole  cycle  before  he  ceases  his  recital  or  his  listeners 
relax  their  attention.  The  following  tale  was  told  by  an  attendant  Indian 
(not  a  priest),  whose  name  is  Waihusiwa. 

"  Son  ah  tehi  !  "  he  exclaimed,  which  may  be  interpreted:  "  Let  us  abide 
with  the  ancients  to-night." 

The  listeners  reply:  "  E-so,"  or  "  Tea-tu."  ("Certainly,"  or  "Be  it 
well.") 

IN  the  times  of  our  forefathers,  under  Thunder 
Mountain  was  a  village  called  K'ialdme  ("Home 
of  the  Eagles " ).  It  is  now  in  ruins  ;  the  roofs 
are  gone,  the  ladders  have  decayed,  the  hearths 
grown  cold.  But  when  it  was  all  still  perfect,  and, 
as  it  were,  new,  there  lived  in  this  village  a  maiden, 
the  daughter  of  the  priest-chief.  She  was  beauti 
ful,  but  possessed  of  this  peculiarity  of  character : 
There  was  a  sacred  spring  of  water  at  the  foot  of 
the  terrace  whereon  stood  the  town.  We  now  call 
it  the  Pool  of  the  Apaches  ;  but  then  it  was  sacred 
to  J&dlowis&i-~(the  Serpent  of  the  Sea).  Now,  at 
this  spring  the  girl  displayed  her  peculiarity,  which 
was  that  of  a  passion  for  neatness  and  cleanliness 
of  person  and  clothing.  She  could  not  endure  the 
slightest  speck  or  particle  of  dust  or  dirt  upon  her 
clothes  or  person,  and  so  she  spent  most  of  her 
time  in  washing  all  the  things  she  used  and  in 
bathing  herself  in  the  waters  of  this  spring. 

Now,  these  waters,  being  sacred  to  the  Serpent 
of  the  Sea,  should  not  have  been  defiled  in  this 

93 


94  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

way.  As  might  have  been  expected,  Kolowissi  be 
came  troubled  and  angry  at  the  sacrilege  committed 
in  the  sacred  waters  by  the  maiden,  and  he  said  : 
"  Why  does  this  maiden  defile  the  sacred  waters  of 
my  spring  with  the  dirt  of  her  apparel  and  the  dun 
of  her  person  ?  I  must  see  to  this."  So  he  devised 
a  plan  by  which  to  prevent  the  sacrilege  and  to 
punish  its  author. 

When  the  maiden  came  again  to  the  spring, 
what  should  she  behold  but  a  beautiful  little  child 
seated  amidst  the  waters,  splashing  them,  cooing 
and  smiling.  It  was  the  Sea  Serpent,  wearing  the 
semblance  of  a  child, — for  a  god  may  assume  any 

rm  at  its  pleasure,  you  know.  There  sat  the  child, 
laughing  and  playing  in  the  water.  The  girl 
looked  around  in  all  directions — north,  south,  east, 
and  west — but  could  see  no  one,  nor  any  traces  of 
persons  who  might  have  brought  hither  the  beauti 
ful  little  child.  She  said  to  herself :  "  I  wonder 
whose  child  this  may  be  !  It  would  seem  to  be 
that  of  some  unkind  and  cruel  mother,  who  has  de 
serted  it  and  left  it  here  to  perish.  And  the  poor 
little  child  does  not  yet  know  that  it  is  left  all  alone. 
Poor  little  thing !  I  will  take  it  in  my  arms  and 
care  for  it." 

The  maiden  then  talked  softly  to  the  young 
child,  and  took  it  in  her  arms,  and  hastened  with  it 
up  the  hill  to  her  house,  and,  climbing  up  the 
ladder,  carried  the  child  in  her  arms  into  the  room 
where  she  slept. 

Her  peculiarity  of  character,  her  dislike  of  all 
dirt  or  dust,  led  her  to  dwell  apart  from  the  rest 


The  Serpent  of  the  Sea  95 

of  her  family,  in  a  room  by  herself  above  all  of  the 
other  apartments. 

She  was  so  pleased  with  the  child  that  when  she 
had  got  him  into  her  room  she  sat  down  on  the 
floor  and  played  with  him,  laughing  at  his  pranks 
and  smiling  into  his  face  ;  and  he  answered  her  in 
baby  fashion  with  cooings  and  smiles  of  his  own, 
so  that  her  heart  became  very  happy  and  loving. 
So  it  happened  that  thus  was  she  engaged  for  a 
long  while  and  utterly  unmindful  of  the  lapse 
of  time. 

Meanwhile,  the  younger  sisters  had  prepared  the 
meal,  and  were  awaiting  the  return  of  the  elder 
sister. 

"  Where,  I  wonder,  can  she  be  ?"  one  of  them 
asked. 

"  She  is  probably  down  at  the  spring/'  said  the 
old  father ;  "  she  is  bathing  and  washing  her 
clothes,  as  usual,  of  course  !  Run  down  and  call 
her." 

But  the  younger  sister,  on  going,  could  find  no 
trace  of  her  at  the  spring.  So  she  climbed  the 
ladder  to  the  private  room  of  this  elder  sister,  and 
there  found  her,  as  has  been  told,  playing  with  the 
little  child.  She  hastened  back  to  inform  her 
father  of  what  she  had  seen.  But  the  old  man  sat 
silent  and  thoughtful.  He  knew  that  the  waters 
of  the  spring  were  sacred.  When  the  rest  of  the 
family  were  excited,  and  ran  to  behold  the  pretty 
prodigy,  he  cried  out,  therefore  :  "  Come  back  ! 
come  back  !  Why  do  you  make  fools  of  your 
selves  ?  Do  you  suppose  any  mother  would  leave 


96  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

her  own  child  in  the  waters  of  this  or  any  other 
spring  ?  There  is  something  more  of  meaning 
than  seems  in  all  this." 

When  they  again  went  and  called  the  maiden  to 
come  down  to  the  meal  spread  for  her,  she  could 
not  be  induced  to  leave  the  child. 

"  See  !  it  is  as  you  might  expect,"  said  the  father. 
"  A  woman  will  not  leave  a  child  on  any  induce 
ment  ;  how  much  less  her  own." 

The  child  at  length  grew  sleepy.  The  maiden 
placed  it  on  a  bed,  and,  growing  sleepy  herself, 
at  length  lay  by  its  side  and  fell  asleep.  Her  sleep 
was  genuine,  but  the  sleep  of  the  child  was  feigned. 
The  child  became  elongated  by  degrees,  as  it  were, 
fulfilling  some  horrible  dream,  and  soon  appeared 
as  an  enormous  Serpent  that  coiled  itself  round 
and  round  the  room  until  it  was  full  of  scaly,  gleam 
ing  circles.  Then,  placing  its  head  near  the  head 
of  the  maiden,  the  great  Serpent  surrounded  her 
with  its  coils,  taking  finally  its  own  tail  in  its 
mouth. 

y  The  night  passed,  and  in  the  morning  when  the 
breakfast  was  prepared,  and  yet  the  maiden  did 
not  descend,  and  the  younger  sisters  became  im 
patient  at  the  delay,  the  old  man  said  :  "  Now 
that  she  has  the  child  to  play  with,  she  will  care 
little  for  aught  else.  That  is  enough  to  occupy  the 
entire  attention  of  any  woman." 

But  the  little  sister  ran  up  to  the  room  and 
called.  Receiving  no  answer,  she  tried  to  open  the 
door  ;  she  could  not  move  it,  because  the  Serpent's 
coils  filled  the  room  and  pressed  against  it.  She 


The  Serpent  of  the  Sea  97 

pushed  the  door  with  all  her  might,  but  it  could 
not  be  moved.  She  again  and  again  called  her 
sister's  name,  but  no  response  came.  Beginning 
now  to  be  frightened,  she  ran  to  the  skyhole  over 
the  room  in  which  she  had  left  the  others  and 
cried  out  for  help.  They  hastily  joined  her, — all 
save  the  old  father, — and  together  were  able  to 
press  the  door  sufficiently  to  get  a  glimpse  of  the 
great  scales  and  folds  of  the  Serpent.  Then 
the  women  all  ran  screaming  to  the  old  father. 
The  old  man,  priest  and  sage  as  he  was,  quieted 
them  with  these  words  :  "  I  expected  as  much  as 
this  from  the  first  report  which  you  gave  me.  It 
was  impossible,  as  I  then  said,  that  a  woman  should 
be  so  foolish  as  to  leave  her  child  playing  even 
near  the  waters  of  the  spring.  But  it  is  not  im 
possible,  it  seems,  that  one  should  be  so  foolish 
as  to  take  into  her  arms  a  child  found  as  this 
one  was." 

Thereupon  he  walked  out  of  the  house,  deliber 
ately  and  thoughtful,  angry  in  his  mind  against 
his  eldest  daughter.  Ascending  to  her  room,  he 
pushed  against  the  door  and  called  to  the  Serpent 
of  the  Sea  :  "  Oh,  Kolowissi  !  It  is  I,  who  speak 
to  thee,  O  Serpent  of  the  Sea  ;  I,  thy  priest.  Let, 
I  pray  thee,  let  my  child  come  to  me  again,  and  I 
will  make  atonement  for  her  errors.  Release  her, 
though  she  has  been  so  foolish,  for  she  is  thine, 
absolutely  thine.  But  let  her  return  once  more  to  us 
that  we  may  make  atonement  to  thee  more  amply." 
So  prayed  the  priest  to  the  Serpent  of  the  Sea. 

When    he    had    done    this    the   great   Serpent 


98  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

loosened  his  coils,  and  as  he  did  so  the  whole 
building  shook  violently,  and  all  the  villagers 
became  aware  of  the  event,  and  trembled  with 
fear. 

The  maiden  at  once  awoke  and  cried  piteously 
to  her  father  for  help. 

"  Come  and  release  me,  oh,  my  father  !  Come  and 
release  me  ! "  she  cried. 

As  the  coils  loosened  she  found  herself  able  to 
rise.  No  sooner  had  she  done  this  than  the  great 
Serpent  bent  the  folds  of  his  large  coils  nearest 
the  doorway  upward  so  that  they  formed  an  arch. 
Under  this,  filled  with  terror,  the  girl  passed.  She 
was  almost  stunned  with  the  dread  din  of  the 
monster's  scales  rasping  past  one  another  with  a 
noise  like  the  sound  of  flints  trodden  under  the 
feet  of  a  rapid  runner,  and  once  away  from  the 
writhing  mass  of  coils,  the  poor  maiden  ran  like 
a  frightened  deer  out  of  the  doorway,  down  the 
ladder  and  into  the  room  below,  casting  herself  on 
the  breast  of  her  mother. 

But  the  priest  still  remained  praying  to  the 
Serpent  ;  and  he  ended  his  prayer  as  he  had 
begun  it,  saying :  "It  shall  be  even  as  I  have 
said  ;  she  shall  be  thine  !  " 

He  then  went  away  and  called  the  two  warrior 
priest-chiefs  of  the  town,  and  these  called  together 
all  the  other  priests  in  sacred  council.  Then  they 
performed  the  solemn  ceremonies  of  the  sacred 
rites — preparing  plumes,  prayer-wands,  and  offer 
ings  of  treasure. 

After  four  days  of  labor,  these  things  they  ar- 


The  Serpent  of  the  Sea  99 

ranged  and  consecrated  to  the  Serpent  of  the  Sea. 
On  that  morning  the  old  priest  called  his  daughter 
and  told  her  she  must  make  ready  to  take  these 
sacrifices  and  yield  them  up,  even  with  herself,— 
most  precious  of  them  all, — to  the  great  Serpent 
of  the  Sea  ;  that  she  must  yield  up  also  all  thoughts 
of  her  people  and  home  forever,  and  go  hence  to  the 
house  of  the  great  Serpent  of  the  Sea,  even  in  the 
Waters  of  the  World.  "  For  it  seems,"  said  he, 
"  to  have  been  your  desire  to  do  thus,  as  mani 
fested  by  your  actions.  You  used  even  the  sacred 
water  for  profane  purposes ;  now  this  that  I  have 
told  you  is  inevitable.  Come  ;  the  time  when  you 
must  prepare  yourself  to  depart  is  near  at  hand." 

She  went  forth  from  the  home  of  her  childhood 
with  sad  cries,  clinging  to  the  neck  of  her  mother 
and  shivering  with  terror.  In  the  plaza,  amidst 
the  lamentations  of  all  the  people,  they  dressed 
her  in  her  sacred  cotton  robes  of  ceremonial,  em 
broidered  elaborately,  and  adorned  her  with  ear 
rings,  bracelets,  beads, — many  beautiful,  precious 
things.  They  painted  her  cheeks  with  red  spots 
as  if  for  a  dance  ;  they  made  a  road  of  sacred  meal 
toward  the  Door  of  the  Serpent  of  the  Sea — a  dis 
tant  spring  in  our  land  known  to  this  day  as  the 
Doorway  to  the  Serpent  of  the  Sea — four  steps 
toward  this  spring  did  they  mark  in  sacred  ter 
races  on  the  ground  at  the  western  way  of  the 
plaza.  And  when  they  had  finished  the  sacred 
road,  the  old  priest,  who  never  shed  one  tear,  al 
though  all  the  villagers  wept  sore, — for  the  maiden 
was  very  beautiful, — instructed  his  daughter  to  go 


ioo  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

forth  on  the  terraced  road,  and,  standing  there,  call 
the  Serpent  to  come  to  her. 

Then  the  door  opened,  and  the  Serpent  de 
scended  from  the  high  room  where  he  was  coiled, 
and,  without  using  ladders,  let  his  head  and  breast 
down  to  the  ground  in  great  undulations.  He 
placed  his  head  on  the  shoulder  of  the  maiden, 
and  the  word  was  given — the  word  :  "  It  is  time  " — 
and  the  maiden  slowly  started  toward  the  west, 
cowering  beneath  her  burden  ;  but  whenever  she 
staggered  with  fear  and  weariness  and  was  like  to 
wander  from  the  way,  the  Serpent  gently  pushed 
her  onward  and  straightened  her  course. 

Thus  they  went  toward  the  river  trail  and  in  it, 
on  and  over  the  Mountain  of  the  Red  Paint ;  yet 
still  the  Serpent  was  not  all  uncoiled  from  the 
maiden's  room  in  the  house,  but  continued  to  crawl 
forth  until  they  were  past  the  mountain — when  the 
last  of  his  length  came  forth.  Here  he  began  to 
draw  himself  together  again  and  to  assume  a  new 
shape.  So  that  ere  long  his  serpent  form  con 
tracted,  until,  lifting  his  head  from  the  maiden's 
shoulder,  he  stood  up,  in  form  a  beautiful  youth  in 
sacred  gala  attire  !  He  placed  the  scales  of  his 
serpent  form,  now  small,  under  his  flowing  mantle, 
and  called  out  to  the  maiden  in  a  hoarse,  hissing 
voice  :  "  Let  us  speak  one  to  the  other.  Are  you 
tired,  girl  ?  "  Yet  she  never  moved  her  head,  but 
plodded  on  with  her  eyes  cast  down. 

"  Are  you  weary,  poor  maiden?" — then  he  said 
in  a  gentler  voice,  as  he  arose  erect  and  fell  a  little 
behind  her,  and  wrapped  his  scales  more  closely 


The  Serpent  of  the  Sea  101 

in  his  blanket — and  he  was  now  such  a  splendid 
and  brave  hero,  so  magnificently  dressed  !  And 
he  repeated,  in  a  still  softer  voice  :  u  Are  you  still 
weary,  poor  maiden  ?  " 

At  first  she  dared  not  look  around,  though  the 
voice,  so  changed,  sounded  so  far  behind  her  and 
thrilled  her  wonderfully  with  its  kindness.,  .  Yet 
she  still  felt  the  weight  on  her  shoulder,  the  weight 
of  that  dreaded  Serpent's  head ;  for  you  know  after 
one  has  carried  a  heavy  burden  on  his  shoulder  or 
back,  if  it  be  removed  he  does  not  at  once  know 
that  it  is  taken  away  ;  it  seems  still  to  oppress  and 
pain  him.  So  it  was  with  her ;  but  at  length  she 
turned  around  a  little  and  saw  a  young  man — a 
brave  and  handsome  young  man. 

11  May  I  walk  by  your  side?"  said  he,  catching 
her  eye.  "  Why  do  you  not  speak  with  me  ?" 

"  I  am  filled  with  fear  and  sadness  and  shame," 
said  she. 

"  Why  ?  "  asked  he.     "  What  do  you  fear  ?  " 

"  Because  I  came  with  a  fearful  creature  forth 
from  my  home,  and  he  rested  his  head  upon  my 
shoulder,  and  even  now  I  feel  his  presence  there," 
said  she,  lifting  her  hand  to  the  place  where  his  head 
had  rested,  even  still  fearing  that  it  might  be  there. 

"  But  I  came  all  the  way  with  you,"  said  he,  "  and 
I  saw  no  such  creature  as  you  describe." 

Upon  this  she  stopped  and  turned  back  and 
looked  again  at  him,  and  said  :  "  You  came  all  the 
way  ?  I  wonder  where  this  fearful  being  has  gone  !  " 

He  smiled,  and  replied  :  "  I  know  where  he  has 
gone." 


102  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

4<  Ah,  youth  and  friend,  will  he  now  leave  me 
in  peace,"  said  she,  "  and  let  me  return  to  the 
home  of  my  people  ?  " 

"  No,"  replied  he,  "  because  he  thinks  very  much 
of  you." 

'<•  Why  not  ?     Where  is  he  ?  " 

'  •  '''"He  is  here,"  said  the  youth,  smiling,  and  lay 
ing  his  hand  on  his  own  heart.     "  I  am  he." 

11  You  are  he  ?  "  cried  the  maiden.  Then  she 
looked  at  him  again,  and  would  not  believe  him. 

"  Yea,  my  maiden,  I  am  he  ! "  said  he.  And  he 
drew  forth  from  under  his  flowing  mantle  the  shriv 
elled  serpent  scales,  and  showed  them  as  proofs  of 
his  word.  It  was  wonderful  and  beautiful  to  the 
maiden  to  see  that  he  was  thus,  a  gentle  being ;  and 
she  looked  at  him  long. 

Then  he  said  :  "Yes,  I  am  he.  I  love  you,  my 
maiden  !  Will  you  not  haply  come  forth  and  dwell 
with  me  ?  Yes,  you  will  go  with  me,  and  dwell  with 
me,  and  I  will  dwell  with  you,  and  I  will  love  you. 
I  dwell  not  now,  but  ever,  in  all  the  Waters  of  the 
World,  and  in  each  particular  water.  In  all  and  each 
you  will  dwell  with  me  forever,  and  we  will  love 
each  other." 

Behold  !  As  they  journeyed  on,  the  maiden  quite 
forgot  that  she  had  been  sad  ;  she  forgot  her  old 
home,  and  followed  and  descended  with  him  into 
the  Doorway  of  the  Serpent  of  the  Sea  and  dwelt 
with  him  ever  after. 

It  was  thus  in  the  days  of  the  ancients.  There 
fore  the  ancients,  no  less  than  ourselves,  avoided 


The  Serpent  of  the  Sea  103 

using  springs,  except  for  the  drinking  of  their  water  ; 
for  to  this  day  we  hold  the  flowing  springs  the  most 
precious  things  on  earth,  and  therefore  use  them 
not  for  any  profane  purposes  whatsoever. 
Thus  shortens  my  story. 


THE  MAIDEN  OF  THE  YELLOW  ROCKS 

IN  the  days  of  the  ancients,  when  our  ancestors 
lived  in  the  Village  of  the  Yellow  Rocks,1  also  in 
the  Salt  City,2  also  in  the  Village  of  the  Winds,3  and 
also  in  the  Village  of  the  White  Flowering  Herbs,  and 
also  in  the  Village  of  Odd  Waters,  where  they  come 
forth,  when  in  fact  all  these  broken-down  villages 
were  inhabited  by  our  ancients,  there  lived  in  the 
Village  of  the  Yellow  Rocks  a  very  beautiful  maiden, 
the  daughter  of  the  high  priest. 

Although  a  woman,  she  was  wonderfully  endowed 
by  birth  with  the  magic  knowledge  of  the  hunt  and 
with  the  knowledge  of  all  the  animals  who  contribute 
to  the  sustenance  of  man, — game  animals.  And, 
although  a  woman,  she  was  also  somewhat  bad  in 
her  disposition,  and  selfish,  in  that,  possessing  this 
knowledge  above  all  other  men  and  women,  she 
concluded  she  would  have  all  these  animals — the 
deer,  antelope,  rabbits  —  to  herself.  So,  through 
her  wonderful  knowledge  of  their  habits  and  lan 
guage,  she  communicated  with  them  and  charmed 
them,  and  on  the  top  of  the  mountain — where  you 
will  see  to  this  day  the  ancient  figures  of  the  deer 
cut  in  the  rock — she  built  a  huge  corral,  and  gath 
ered  one  after  another  all  the  deer  and  antelope 
and  other  wild  animals  of  that  great  country.  And 

1  Situated  about  seven  miles  east  of  Zuni. 

2  Matsaki,  now  a  ruin  about  three  miles  east  of  Zuni. 

3  Pinawa,  an  ancient  ruin  about  a  mile  and  a  half  west  of  Zuni. 

104 


The  Maiden  of  the  Yellow  Rocks      105 

the  hunters  of  these  villages  hunted  in  vain  ;  they 
trailed  the  deer  and  the  antelope,  but  they  lost  their 
trails  and  always  came  home  with  nothing  save  the 
weapons  they  took  with  them.  But  this  maiden, 
whenever  she  wished  for  deer,  would  go  to  her  cor 
ral  and  kill  whatever  animal  she  wanted  ;  so  she 
and  her  family  always  had  plenty  of  meat,  while 
others  were  without  it ;  always  had  plenty  of  buck 
skins  with  which  to  make  moccasins  and  apparel, 
while  others  were  every  day  wearing  out  their  old 
supply  and  never  able  to  replenish  it. 

Now,  this  girl  was  surpassingly  beautiful,  and  was 
looked  upon  by  many  a  young  man  as  the  flower  of 
his  heart  and  the  one  on  whom  he  would  ultimately 
concentrate  his  thoughts  for  life.  Amongst  these 
young  men,  the  first  to  manifest  his  feelings  was  a 
youth  from  the  Village  of  the  Winds. 

One  day  he  said  to  his  old  people  :  "  I  am  going 
courting."  And  they  observed  that  he  made  up  a 
bundle  of  various  precious  things  for  women's 
dress  and  ornamentation — necklaces,  snow-white 
buckskin  moccasins  and  leggings,  and  embroidered 
skirts  and  mantles — and,  taking  his  bundle  on  his 
shoulders,  he  started  off  for  the  Village  of  the 
Yellow  Rocks. 

When  he  reached  the  village  he  knew  the  home 
of  the  maiden  by  the  beauty  of  the  house.  Among 
other  houses  it  was  alone  of  its  kind.  Attached 
to  the  ladder  was  the  cross-piece  carved  as  it  is  in 
these  days,  but  depending  from  it  was  a  fringe  of 
black  hair  (not  scalp-locks)  with  which  they  still 
ornament  certain  houses  when  they  have  sacred 


io6  Zufti  Folk  Tales 

ceremonies  ;  and  among  this  fringe  were  hung  hol 
low  stalactites  from  a  sacred  cave  on  the  Colorado 
Chiquito,  which  sounded,  when  the  wind  blew 
them  together,  like  little  bells.  This  fringe  was 
full  of  them,  so  that  when  a  stranger  came  to 
this  important  chief-priest's  house  he  no  sooner 
touched  the  ladder-rung  at  the  foot  than  the  bells 
tinkled,  and  they  knew  some  one  was  coming. 

As  he  placed  his  foot  on  the  lowermost  rung  of 
the  ladder,  chi-la-li  sang  the  bells  at  the  top. 

Said  the  people  within  :  "  Some  one  is  coming." 

Step  after  step  he  went  up,  and  still  the  bells 
made  music  at  the  top,  and  as  he  stepped  over  on 
the  roof,  thud,  thud,  his  footsteps  sounded  as  he 
walked  along  ;  and  when  he  reached  the  door,  those 
within  said  :  "  Thou  comest  ? "  And  he  replied  : 
"  I  come.  Draw  me  in  "  ;  by  which  expression  he 
meant  that  he  had  brought  with  him  a  present  to 
the  family.  Whenever  a  man  has  a  bundle  to 
hand  down,  it  is  the  place  of  the  woman  to  take  it ; 
and  that  is  called  "  drawing  a  man  in,"  though  she 
only  takes  his  bundle  and  he  follows.  In  this  case 
he  said  "  Draw  me  in,"  and  the  maiden  came  to 
the  top  of  the  ladder  and  took  the  bundle  and 
dropped  it  on  the  floor.  They  knew  by  the  ap 
pearance  of  the  bundle  what  the  object  of  the  visit 
was. 

The  old  man  was  sitting  by  the  fireplace, — it 
was  night-time, —  and  as  the  stranger  entered, 
said,  "  Thou  hast  come  ?" 

The  young  man  answered  :  "  Yes." 

Said  the   old  man  :   "  It  is  not  customary  for  a 


The  Maiden  of  the  Yellow  Rocks      107 

stranger  to  visit  the  house  of  a  stranger  without 
saying  something  of  what  may  be  in  his  thoughts." 

"  It  is  quite  true,"  said  the  youth  ;  "  I  come 
thinking  of  this  maiden,  your  daughter.  It  has 
occurred  to  me  that  I  might  happily  and  without 
fear  rest  my  thoughts  and  hopes  on  her ;  therefore 
I  come." 

The  daughter  brought  forth  food  for  the  young 
man  and  bade  him  eat.  He  reached  forth  his 
hand  and  partook  of  the  food.  She  sat  down  and 
took  a  mouthful  or  two,  whereby  they  knew  she 
was  favorably  disposed.  She  was  favorably  dis 
posed  to  all  appearance,  but  not  in  reality.  When 
he  had  finished  eating,  she  said  :  "As  you  like,  my 
father.  You  are  my  father."  She  answered  to  her 
own  thoughts  :  "  Yes,  you  have  often  reproached 
me  for  not  treating  with  more  gentleness  those 
who  come  courting  me." 

Finally  said  the  father  :  "  I  give  ye  my  bless 
ing  and  sacred  speech,  my  children.  I  will  adopt 
thee  as  my  child."1 

"  My  children,"  said  the  father,  after  a  while, 
when  he  had  smoked  a  little,  "the  stranger,  now  a 
son,  has  come  a  long  distance  and  must  be  weary." 

So  the  maiden  led  him  to  an  upper  chamber,  and 
said  :  "  Rest  here  ;  you  are  not  yet  my  husband. 
I  would  try  you  in  the  morning.  Get  up  early, 
when  the  deer  are  most  plentiful,  and  go  forth  and 
slay  me  a  fine  one,  and  then  indeed  shall  we  rest 
our  hopes  and  thoughts  on  each  other  for  life." 

"  It  is  well,"  said  the  youth  ;  and  he  retired  to 

1  This,  it  may  be  explaned,  is  all  that  the  marriage  ceremony  consists  of. 


io8  Zufii  Folk  Tales 

sleep,  and  in  the  morning  arose  early.  The  maiden 
gave  into  his  hands  the  food  for  the  day  ;  he  caught 
up  his  bows  and  arrows  and  went  forth  into  the 
forests  and  mountains,  seeking  for  the  deer.  He 
found  a  superb  track  and  followed  it  until  it  sud 
denly  disappeared,  and  though  he  worked  hard 
and  followed  it  over  and  over  again,  he  could  find 
nothing.  While  the  young  man  was  out  hunting 
and  following  the  tracks  for  nothing,  the  young  girl 
went  out,  so  as  to  be  quite  sure  that  none  of  her 
deer  should  get  out ;  and  what  did  she  do  ?  She  went 
into  the  river  and  followed  it  against  the  current, 
through  the  water  beyond  the  village  and  where  the 
marked  rocks  stand,  up  the  canon  to  the  place  where 
her  deer  were  gathered.  They  were  all  there,  peace 
ful  and  contented.  But  there  were  no  tracks  of  the 
girl ;  no  one  could  follow  where  she  went. 

The  young  man  hunted  and  hunted,  and  at 
night-time,  all  tired  out  and  hungry,  took  his  way 
back  to  the  home  of  the  maiden.  She  was  there. 

"  Ha  ! "  said  she,  "  what  good  fortune  today  ?  " 

And  the  young  man  with  his  face  dragged  down 
and  his  eyes  not  bright,  answered  :  "  I  found  no 
game  today." 

"  Well,"  said  the  girl,  "  it  is  too  bad  ;  but  under 
the  circumstances  we  cannot  rest  our  thoughts  and 
hopes  on  each  other  for  life." 

"  No,  I  suppose  not,"  said  the  young  man. 

"  Here  is  your  bundle,"  said  the  girl.  She  raised 
it  very  carefully  and  handed  it  to  him.  He  took 
it  over  his  shoulder,  and  after  all  his  weary  work 
went  on  his  way  home. 


The  Maiden  of  the  Yellow  Rocks      109 

The  very  next  day  a  young  man  named  Halona, 
when  he  heard  of  this,  said  :  "  Ha  !  ha  !  What  a  fool 
he  was  !  He  did  n't  take  her  enough  presents  ;  he 
did  n't  please  her.  I  am  said  to  be  a  very  pleasant 
fellow"  (he  was  a  very  conceited  young  man)  ;  "  I 
will  take  her  a  bundle  that  will  make  things  all 
right." 

So  he  put  into  a  bundle  everything  that  a  woman 
could  reasonably  want,  —  for  he  was  a  wealthy 
young  man,  and  his  bundle  was  very  heavy, — put 
on  his  best  dress,  and  with  fine  paint  on  his  face 
started  for  the  home  of  the  maiden.  Finally,  his 
foot  touched  the  lowermost  rung  of  the  ladder ; 
the  stalactites  went  jingling  above  as  he  mounted, 
and  thud  went  his  bundle  as  he  dropped  it  on  the 
roof. 

"  Somebody  has  come,"  said  the  people  below. 
"  Listen  to  that  !  " 

The  maiden  shrugged  her  shoulders  and  said  : 
"Thou  comest?" 

"  Yes,"  answered  the  young  man  ;  "  draw  me  in." 

So  she  reached  up  and  pulled  the  huge  bundle 
down  into  the  room,  placing  it  on  the  floor,  and 
the  young  man  followed  it  down. 

Said  the  old  man,  who  was  sitting  by  the  fire, 
for  it  was  night :  "  Thou  comest.  Not  thinking  of 
nothing  doth  one  stranger  come  to  the  house  of 
another.  What  may  be  thy  thoughts  ?  " 

The  young  man  looked  at  the  maiden  and  said 
to  himself  :  "  What  a  magnificent  creature  she  is  ! 
She  will  be  my  wife,  no  fear  that  she  will  not." 
Then  said  he  aloud  :  "  I  came,  thinking  of  your 


no  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

daughter.  I  would  rest  my  hopes  and  thoughts 
on  her." 

"  It  is  well,"  said  the  old  man.  "  It  is  the  cus 
tom  of  our  people  and  of  all  people,  that  they  may 
possess  dignity,  that  they  may  be  the  heads  of 
households ;  therefore,  young  men  and  maidens 
marry  and  establish  themselves  in  certain  houses. 
I  have  no  objection.  What  dost  thou  think,  my 
daughter  ?  " 

"  I  have  no  objection,"  said  the  daughter. 

"Ah,  what  did  I  tell  you?"  said  the  youth  to 
himself,  and  ate  with  a  great  deal  of  satisfaction 
the  meal  placed  before  him. 

The  father  laid  out  the  corn-husks  and  tobacco, 
and  they  had  a  smoke ;  then  he  said  to  his  daughter  : 
"  The  stranger  who  is  now  my  son  has  come  a 
long  way,  and  should  not  be  kept  sitting  up  so 
long." 

As  the  daughter  led  him  to  another  room,  he 
thought :  "  What  a  gentle  creature  she  is  !  How 
softly  she  steps  up  the  ladder." 

When  the  door  was  reached,  she  said  :  "  Here 
we  will  say  good-night." 

"  What  is  the  matter  ?"  he  asked. 

Said  she :  "  I  would  like  to  know  of  my  husband 
this  much,  that  he  is  a  good  hunter ;  that  I  may 
have  plenty  of  food  all  my  days,  and  plenty  of 
buckskins  for  my  clothing.  Therefore  I  must  ask 
that  in  the  morning  you  go  forth  and  hunt  the 
deer,  or  bring  home  an  antelope  for  me. 

The  young  man  quickly  recovered  himself,  and 
said  :  "  It  is  well,"  and  lay  himself  down  to  rest. 


The  Maiden  of  the  Yellow  Rocks      1 1 1 

So  the  next  morning  he  went  out,  and  there  was 
the  maiden  at  the  top  of  the  house  watching  him. 
He  could  n't  wait  for  daylight  ;  he  wanted  the  Sun, 
his  father,  to  rise  before  his  time,  and  when  the 
Sun  did  rise  he  jumped  out  of  bed,  tied  his  quiver 
to  his  belt,  took  his  bow  in  his  hand,  and,  with  a 
little  luncheon  the  maiden  had  prepared  for  him, 
started  off. 

As  he  went  down  the  river  he  saw  the  maiden 
was  watching  him  from  the  top  of  the  house  ;  so 
he  started  forward  and  ran  until  he  was  out  of 
sight,  to  show  how  fine  a  runner  he  was  and  how 
good  a  hunter ;  because  he  was  reputed  to  be  a 
very  strong  and  active  young  man.  He  hunted 
and  hunted,  but  did  not  find  any  deer,  nor  even 
any  tracks. 

Meanwhile,  the  maiden  went  up  the  stream  as 
before  and  kept  watch  of  the  corral ;  and  he  fared 
as  the  other  young  man  had  fared.  At  night  he 
came  home,  not  quite  so  downcast  as  the  other 
had  been,  because  he  was  a  young  man  of  more 
self-reliance. 

She  asked,  as  she  met  him  :  "  Have  n't  you  got 
any  deer  today  ?  " 

He  answered  :  "  No." 

She  said  :  "  I  am  sorry,  but  under  the  circum 
stances  I  don't  see  how  we  can  become  husband 
and  wife." 

So  he  carried  his  bundle  home. 

The  next  day  there  was  a  young  man  in  the 
City  of  Salt  who  heard  of  this, — not  all  of  it,  but 
he  heard  that  day  after  day  young  men  were  going 


ii2  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

to  the  home  of  this  maiden  to  court  her,  and  she 
turned  them  all  away.  He  said :  "  I  dare  say  they 
did  n't  take  enough  with  them."  So  he  made  up 
two  bundles  and  went  to  the  home  of  the  maiden, 
and  he  said  to  himself :  "  This  time  it  will  be  all 
right." 

When  he  arrived,  much  the  same  conversation 
was  gone  through  as  before  with  the  other  young 
men,  and  the  girl  said,  when  she  lighted  him  to  the 
door  of  his  room :  "  My  young  friend,  if  you  will 
find  a  deer  for  me  tomorrow  I  will  become  your 
wife  and  rest  my  hope  only  on  you." 

"  Mercy  on  me  ! "  thought  the  young  man  to  him 
self,  "  I  have  always  been  called  a  poor  hunter. 
What  shall  I  do  ?  " 

The  next  morning  he  tried,  but  with  the  same 
results. 

Now,  this  girl  was  keeping  the  deer  and  antelope 
and  other  animals  so  long  closed  up  in  the  corral 
that  the  people  in  all  the  villages  round  about  were 
ready  to  die  of  hunger  for  meat.  Still,  for  her  own 
gratification  she  would  keep  these  animals  shut  up. 

The  young  man  came  back  at  evening,  and  she 
asked  him  if  he  had  found  a  deer  for  her. 

"  No,"  said  he,  "  I  could  not  even  find  the  trail 
of  one." 

"  Well/'  she  said,  "  I  am  sorry,  for  your  bundles 
are  heavy." 

He  took  them  up  and  went  home  with  them. 

Finally,  -this  matter  became  so  much  talked  about 
that  the  two  small  gods  on  the  top  of  Thunder 
Mountain,  who  lived  with  their  grandmother  where 


The  Maiden  of  the  Yellow  Rocks      113 

our  sacrificial  altar  now  stands,  said  :  "  There  is 
something  wrong  here  ;  we  will  go  and  court  this 
maiden."  Now,  these  gods  were  extremely  ugly  in 
appearance  when  they  chose  to  be — mere  pigmies 
who  never  grew  to  man's  stature.  They  were  al 
ways  boys  in  appearance,  and  their  grandmother 
was  always  crusty  with  them  ;  but  they  concluded 
one  night  that  they  would  go  the  next  day  to  woo 
this  maiden. 

Said  one  to  the  other :  "  Suppose  we  go  and  try 
our  luck  with  her."  Said  he  :  "  When  I  look  at  you, 
you  are  very  handsome." 

Said  the  other  to  him  :  "  When  I  look  at  you,  you 
are  extremely  handsome." 

They  were  the  ugliest  beings  in  human  form,  but 
in  reality  were  among  the  most  magnificent  of 
men,  having  power  to  take  any  form  they  chose. 

Said  the  elder  one :  "  Grandmother,  you  know 
how  much  talk  there  is  about  this  maiden  in  the 
Village  of  the  Yellow  Rocks.  We  have  decided  to 
go  and  court  her." 

4 'You  miserable,  dirty,  ugly  little  wretches! 
The  idea  of  your  going  to  court  this  maiden  when 
she  has  refused  the  finest  young  men  in  the  land  ! " 

"  Well,  we  will  go,"  said  he. 

"I  don't  want  you  to  go,"  replied  she.  "Your 
names  will  be  in  the  mouths  of  everybody  ;  you 
will  be  laughed  and  jeered  at." 

"  We  will  go,"  said  they.  And,  without  paying 
the  slightest  attention  to  their  grandmother,  they 
made  up  their  bundle — a  very  miserable  bundle  it 
was  ;  the  younger  brother  put  in  little  rocks  and 


ii4  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

sticks  and  bits  of  buckskins  and  all  sorts  of  worth 
less  things — and  they  started  off. 

"What  are  you  carrying  this  bundle  for?" 
asked  Ahaiyiita,  the  elder  brother. 

"  I  am  taking  it  as  a  present  to  the  maiden," 
said  Matsailema,  the  younger  one. 

"  She  does  n't  want  any  such  trash  as  that,"  said 
the  other.  "  They  have  taken  very  valuable  pres 
ents  to  her  before  ;  we  have  nothing  to  take  equal 
to  what  has  been  carried  to  her  by  others." 

They  decided  to  throw  the  bundle  away  alto 
gether,  and  started  out  with  absolutely  nothing  but 
their  bows  and  arrows. 

As  they  proceeded  they  began  to  kill  wood-rats, 
and  continued  until  they  had  slaughtered  a  large 
number  and  had  a  long  string  of  them  held  up  by 
their  tails. 

11  There  ! "  exclaimed  the  younger  brother. 
"  There  is  a  fine  present  for  the  girl."  They 
knew  perfectly  well  how  things  were,  and  were 
looking  out  for  the  interests  of  their  children  in 
the  villages  round  about. 

"  Oh,  my  younger  brother!"  said  the  elder. 
"  These  will  not  be  acceptable  to  the  girl  at  all ; 
she  would  not  have  them  in  the  house ! " 

"Oh,  yes,  she  would,"  said  the  younger;  "we 
will  take  them  along  as  a  present  to  her." 

So  they  went  on,  and  it  was  hardly  noon  when 
they  arrived  with  their  strings  of  rats  at  the  white 
cliffs  on  the  southern  side  of  the  cafton  opposite 
the  village  where  the  maiden  lived. 

"  Here,  let  us  sit  down  in  the  shade  of  this  cliff," 


The  Maiden  of  the  Yellow  Rocks      115 

said  the  elder  brother,  "for  it  is  not  proper  to  go 
courting  until  evening." 

"  Oh,  no,"  said  the  younger,  "  let  us  go  along 
now.  I  am  in  a  hurry  !  I  am  in  a  hurry  !  " 

"  You  are  a  fool ! "  said  the  elder  brother  ;  "  you 
should  not  think  of  going  courting  before  evening. 
Stay  here  patiently." 

So  they  sat  down  in  the  shade  of  the  cliff.  But 
the  younger  kept  jumping  up  and  running  out  to 
see  how  the  sun  was  all  the  afternoon,  and  he 
would  go  and  smooth  out  his  string  of  rats  from 
time  to  time,  and  then  go  and  look  at  the  sun  again. 
Finally,  when  the  sun  was  almost  set,  he  called  out : 
"  Now,  come  on  !  " 

"Wait  until  it  is  wholly  dark,"  said  the  other. 
"  You  never  did  have  any  patience,  sense,  or 
dignity  about  you." 

"  Why  not  go  now  ?"  asked  the  younger. 

So  they  kept  quarrelling,  but  the  elder  brother's 
wish  prevailed  until  it  was  nearly  dark,  when  they 
went  on. 

The  elder  brother  began  to  get  very  bashful  as 
they  approached  the  village.  "  I  wonder  which 
house  it  is,"  said  he. 

"  The  one  with  the  tallest  ladder  in  front  of  it, 
of  course,"  said  the  other. 

Then  the  elder  brother  said  in  a  low  voice : 
"  Now,  do  behave  yourself ;  be  dignified." 

"  All  right !  "  replied  the  younger. 

When  they  got  to  the  ladder,  the  elder  one  said 
in  a  whisper :  "  I  don't  want  to  go  up  here  ;  I  don't 
want  to  go  courting  ;  let 's  go  back." 


n6  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

"  Go  along  up,"  said  the  younger. 

"  Keep  still ;  be  quiet  !"  said  the  elder  one  ;  "be 
dignified  !  " 

They  went  up  the  ladder  very  carefully,  so  that 
there  was  not  a  tinkle  from  the  bells.  The  elder 
brother  hesitated,  while  the  younger  one  went  on 
to  the  top,  and  over  the  edge  of  the  house. 

"  Now  !  "  cried  he. 

"  Keep  still ! "  whispered  the  other ;  and  he  gave 
the  ladder  a  little  shake  as  he  went,  and  the  bells 
tinkled  at  the  top. 

The  people  downstairs  said  :  "  Who  in  the  world 
is  coming  now  ?  " 

When  they  were  both  on  the  roof,  the  elder 
brother  said  :  "  You  go  down  first." 

"  I  will  do  nothing  of  the  kind,"  said  the  other, 
"  you  are  the  elder." 

The  people  downstairs  called  out :  "  Who  comes 
there  ?  " 

"See  what  you  have  done,  you  simpleton!" 
said  the  elder  brother.  Then  with  a  great  deal  of 
dignity  he  walked  down  the  ladder.  The  younger 
one  came  tumbling  down,  carrying  his  string  of 
rats. 

"  Throw  it  out,  you  fool ;  they  don't  want  rats  ! " 
said  the  elder  one. 

"  Yes,  they  do,"  replied  the  other.  "  The  girl 
will  want  these ;  maybe  she  will  marry  us  on 
account  of  them  ! " 

The  elder  brother  was  terribly  disturbed,  but  the 
other  brought  his  rats  in  and  laid  them  in  the 
middle  of  the  floor. 


The  Maiden  of  the  Yellow  Rocks      117 

The  father  looked  up,  and  said  :  "  You  come  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  answered  the  two  odd  ones. 

"  Sit  down,"  said  the  old  man.  So  they  sat 
down,  and  food  was  placed  before  them. 

"  It  seems,"  said  the  father,  "  that  ye  have  met 
with  luck  today  in  hunting,"  as  he  cast  his  eyes 
on  the  string  of  rats. 

"Yes,"  said  the  Two. 

So  the  old  priest  went  and  got  some  prayer- 
meal,  and,  turning  the  faces  of  the  rats  toward  the 
east,  said  a  short  prayer. 

"What  did  I  tell  you?"  said  the  younger 
brother  ;  "  they  like  the  presents  we  have  brought. 
Just  see  !  " 

Presently  the  old  man  said  :  "  It  is  not  customary 
for  strangers  to  come  to  a  house  without  something 
in  mind." 

"  Quite  so,"  said  the  younger  brother. 

"  Yes,  my  father,"  said  the  elder  one  ;  "we  have 
come  thinking  of  your  daughter.  We  understand 
that  she  has  been  wooed  by  various  young  men, 
and  it  has  occurred  to  us  that  they  did  not  bring 
the  right  kind  of  presents." 

"  So  we  brought  these,"  said  the  younger  brother. 

"  It  is  well,"  said  the  old  man.  "  It  is  the  custom 
for  maidens  and  youths  to  marry.  It  rests  with 
my  daughter." 

So  he  referred  the  matter  to  his  daughter,  and 
she  said  :  "  As  you  think,  my  father.  Which  one  ?  " 

"  Oh,  take  us  both  ! "  said  the  younger  brother. 

This  was  rather  embarrassing  to  the  maiden,  but 
she  knew  she  had  a  safe  retreat.  So  when  the 


n8  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

father  admonished  her  that  it  was  time  to  lead 
the  two  young  men  up  into  the  room  where  the 
others  had  been  placed,  she  told  them  the  same 
story. 

They  said,   "  It  is  well." 

They  lay  down,  but  instead  of  sleeping  spent 
most  of  the  night  in  speculating  as  to  the  future. 

"  What  a  magnificent  wife  we  will  have,"  said 
one  to  the  other. 

"  Don't  talk  so  loud  ;  every  one  will  hear  you  ; 
you  will  be  covered  with  shame  ! " 

After  a  while  they  went  to  sleep  ;  but  were  awake 
early  the  next  morning.  The  younger  brother  be 
gan  to  talk  to  the  elder  one,  who  said  :  "  Keep 
quiet  ;  the  people  are  not  awake  ;  don't  disturb 
them  ! " 

The  younger  one  said  :  "  The  sun  is  rising." 

"  Keep  quiet,"  said  the  other,  "and  when  they 
are  awake  they  will  give  us  some  luncheon  to  take 
with  us." 

But  the  younger  one  jumped  up  and  went  rushing 
about  the  house,  calling  out :  "  The  sun  is  rising ; 
Get  up  ! " 

The  luncheon  was  provided,  and  when  they 
started  off  the  maiden  went  out  on  the  house-top 
and  asked  them  which  direction  they  would  take. 

Said  they :  "  We  will  go  over  to  the  south  and 
will  get  a  deer  before  long,  although  we  are  very 
small  and  may  not  meet  with  very  good  luck." 

So  they  descended  the  ladder,  and  the  maiden 
said  to  herself  :  "  Ugly,  miserable  little  wretches  ;  I 
will  teach  them  to  come  courting  me  in  this  way  ! " 


The  Maiden  of  the  Yellow  Rocks      119 

The  brothers  went  off  to  the  cliffs,  and,  while 
pretending  to  be  hunting,  they  ran  back  through 
the  thickets  near  the  house  and  waited  to  see  what 
the  maiden  would  do. 

Pretty  soon  she  came  out.  They  watched  her 
and  saw  that  she  went  down  the  valley  and  pres 
ently  ran  into  the  river,  leaving  no  trail  behind, 
and  took  her  course  up  the  stream.  They  ran  on 
ahead,  and  long  before  she  had  ascended  the  river 
found  the  path  leading  out  of  it  up  the  mountain. 
Following  this  path,  they  came  to  the  corral,  and, 
looking  over  it,  they  saw  thousands  of  deer,  moun 
tain-sheep,  antelope,  and  other  animals  wandering 
around  in  the  enclosure. 

"  Ha !  here  is  the  place ! "  the  younger  brother 
exclaimed.  "  Let  us  go  at  them  now  !" 

"  Keep  quiet !  Be  patient !  Wait  till  the  maid 
en  comes,"  said  the  elder  one.  "  If  we  should 
happen  to  kill  one  of  these  deer  before  she  comes, 
perhaps  she  has  some  magic  power  or  knowledge 
by  which  she  would  deprive  us  of  the  fruits  of  our 
efforts." 

"  No,  let  us  kill  one  now,"  said  the  other.  But 
the  elder  one  kept  him  curbed  until  the  maiden 
was  climbing  the  cliff,  when  he  could  restrain  him 
no  longer,  and  the  youth  pulled  out  his  bow  and 
let  fly  an  arrow  at  the  largest  deer.  One  arrow, 
and  the  deer  fell  to  the  ground,  and  when  the 
maiden  appeared  on  the  spot  the  deer  was  lying 
dead  not  far  away. 

The  brothers  said  :  "  You  come,  do  you  ?  And 
here  we  are  ! " 


120  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

She  looked  at  them,  and  her  heart  went  down  and 
became  as  heavy  as  a  stone,  and  she  did  not  answer. 

"  I  say,  you  come  ! "  said  the  younger  brother. 
"  You  come,  do  you  ?  " 

She  said,  "  Yes."  Then  said  she  to  herself : 
"  Well,  I  suppose  I  shall  have  to  submit,  as  I  made 
the  arrangement  myself."  Then  she  looked  up 
and  said  :  "  I  see  you  have  killed  a  deer." 

"  Yes,  we  killed  one  ;  did  n't  have  any  difficulty 
at  all,"  said  the  younger  brother.  "  Come,  and  help 
us  skin  him  ;  we  are  so  little  and  hungry  and  tired 
we  can't  do  it.  Come  on." 

So  the  girl  went  slowly  forward,  and  in  a  de 
jected  way  helped  them  skin  the  deer.  Then  they 
began  to  shoot  more  deer,  and  attempted  to  drag 
them  out ;  but  the  men  were  so  small  they  could 
not  do  it,  and  the  girl  had  to  help  them.  Then 
they  cut  up  the  meat  and  made  it  into  bundles. 
She  made  a  large  one  for  herself,  and  they  made 
two  little  ones  for  themselves. 

"  Now,"  said  they,  wiping  their  brows,  "  we  have 
done  a  good  day's  work,  have  n't  we  ? "  and  they 
looked  at  the  maiden  with  twinkling  eyes. 

"  Yes,"  said  she  ;  "  you  are  great  hunters." 

"  Shall  we  go  toward  home  ?  "  asked  the  younger 
brother  of  the  maiden.  "It  would  be  a  shame  for 
you  to  take  such  a  bundle  as  that.  I  will  take  it 
for  you." 

"  You  little  conceited  wretch  ! "  cried  the  elder 
brother.  "  Have  n't  I  tried  to  restrain  you  ? — and 
now  you  are  going  to  bury  yourself  under  a  bundle 
of  meat ! " 


The  Maiden  of  the  Yellow  Rocks      121 

"  No,"  said  the  younger  brother,  "  I  can  carry  it." 

So  they  propped  the  great  bundle  of  meat  against 
a  tree.  The  elder  brother  called  on  the  maiden 
to  help  him  ;  the  younger  one  stooped  down  and 
received  it  on  his  back.  They  had  no  sooner  let 
go  of  it  than  it  fell  on  the  ground  and  completely 
flattened  the  little  man  out. 

"  Mercy  !  mercy  !  I  am  dying  ;  help  me  out  of 
here  !  "  cried  he. 

So  they  managed  to  roll  the  thing  off,  and  he 
got  up  and  rubbed  his  back,  complaining  bitterly 
(he  was  only  making  believe),  and  said  :  "  I  shall 
have  to  take  my  little  bundle." 

So  he  shouldered  his  little  bundle,  and  the  maid 
en  took  the  large  one  ;  but  before  she  started  she 
turned  to  the  animals  and  said,  "  Oh,  my  children  ! 
these  many  days,  throwing  the  warm  light  of  your 
favor  upon  me,  you  have  rested  contented  to  remain 
away  from  the  sight  of  men.  Now,  hereafter  you 
shall  go  forth  whithersoever  you  will,  that  the  earth 
may  be  covered  with  your  offspring,  and  men  may 
once  more  have  of  your  flesh  to  eat  and  of  your 
pelts  to  wear."  And  away  went  the  antelope,  the 
deer,  the  mountain-sheep,  the  elk,  and  the  buffalo 
over  all  the  land. 

Then  the  young  Gods  of  War  turned  to  the 
maiden  and  said  :  "  Now,  shall  we  go  home?" 

"  Yes,"  said  she. 

"Well,  I  will  take  the  lead,"  said  the  younger 
brother. 

"  Get  behind  where  you  belong,"  said  the  other ; 
"  I  will  precede  the  party."  So  the  elder  brother 


122  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

went  first,  the  maiden  came  next,  and  the  younger 
brother  followed  behind,  with  his  little  bag  of 
meat. 

So  they  went  home,  and  the  maiden  placed 
the  meat  to  dry  in  the  upper  rooms  of  the  house. 

While  she  was  doing  this,  it  was  yet  early  in 
the  day.  The  two  brothers  were  sitting  together, 
and  whispering :  "  And  what  will  she  say  for  her 
self  now  ?  " 

" 1  don't  see  what  she  can  say  for  herself." 

"  Of  course,  nothing  can  she  say  for  herself." 

And  when  the  meat  was  all  packed  away  in  the 
house  and  the  sun  had  set,  they  sat  by  themselves 
talking  this  over  :  "  What  can  she  say  for  herself  ?" 

"  Nothing  whatever ;  nothing  remains  to  be 
done." 

"  That  is  quite  so,"  said  they,  as  they  went  in 
to  the  evening  meal  and  sat  with  the  family  to 
eat  it. 

Finally  the  maiden  said  :  "  With  all  your  hunt 
ing  and  the  labors  of  the  day,  you  must  be  very 
weary.  Where  you  slept  last  night  you  will  find 
a  resting-place.  Go  and  rest  yourselves.  I  can 
not  consent  to  marry  you,  because  you  have  not 
yet  shown  yourselves  capable  of  taking  care  of 
and  dressing  the  buckskins,  as  well  as  of  killing 
deer  and  antelope  and  such  animals.  For  a  long 
time  buckskins  have  been  accumulating  in  the 
upper  room.  I  have  no  brothers  to  soften  and 
scrape  them  ;  therefore,  if  you  Two  will  take  the 
hair  off  from  all  my  buckskins  tomorrow  before 
sunset,  and  scrape  the  underside  so  that  they  will 


The  Maiden  of  the  Yellow  Rocks      123 

be  thin  and  soft,  I  will  consent  to  be  the  wife  of 
one  of  you,  or  both." 

And  they  said  :  "  Oh  mercy,  it  is  too  bad  !  " 

"  We  can  never  do  it,"  said  the  younger  brother. 

"  I  don't  suppose  we  can ;  but  we  can  try," 
said  the  elder. 

So  they  lay  down. 

"  Let  us  take  things  in  time,"  said  the  elder 
one,  after  he  had  thought  of  it.  And  they  jumped 
up  and  called  to  the  maiden  :  "  Where  are  those 
buckskins  ?  " 

4<  They  are  in  the  upper  room,"  said  she. 

She  showed  them  the  way  to  the  upper  room. 
It  was  packed  to  the  rafters  with  buckskins.  They 
began  to  make  big  bales  of  these  and  then  took 
them  down  to  the  river.  When  they  got  them 
all  down  there  they  said  :  "  How  in  the  world  can 
we  scrape  so  many  skins  ?  There  are  more  here 
than  we  can  clean  in  a  year." 

"  I  will  tell  you  what,"  said  the  younger  brother; 
"we  will  stow  away  some  in  the  crevices  of  the 
rocks,  and  get  rid  of  them  in  that  way." 

"Always  hasty,  always  hasty,"  said  the  elder. 
"  Do  you  suppose  that  woman  put  those  skins 
away  without  counting  every  one  of  them  ?  We 
can't  do  that." 

They  spread  them  out  in  the  water  that  they 
might  soak  all  night,  and  built  a  little  dam  so  they 
would  not  float  away.  While  they  were  thus 
engaged  they  heard  some  one  talking,  so  they 
pricked  up  their  ears  to  listen. 

Now,  the  hill  that  stands  by  the  side  across  from 


124  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

the  Village  of  the  Yellow  Rocks  was,  and  still  is, 
a  favorite  home  of  the  Field-mice.  They  are  very 
prolific,  and  have  to  provide  great  bundles  of  wool 
for  their  families.  But  in  the  days  of  the  ancients 
they  were  terrible  gamblers  and  were  all  the  time 
betting  away  their  nests,  and  the  young  Mice 
being  perfectly  bare,  with  no  wool  on  them  at  all, 
died  of  cold.  And  still  they  kept  on  betting, 
making  little  figures  of  nests  and  betting  these 
away  against  the  time  when  they  should  have 
more.  It  was  these  Mice  which  the  two  gods 
overheard. 

Said  the  younger  brother :  "  Listen  to  that  ! 
Who  is  talking  ?  " 

"  Some  one  is  betting.     Let  us  go  nearer." 

They  went  across  the  river  and  listened,  and 
heard  the  tiny  little  voices  calling  out  and  shouting. 

"  Let  us  go  in,"  said  the  younger  brother.  And 
he  placed  his  foot  in  the  hole  and  descended, 
followed  by  the  other.  They  found  there  an 
enormous  village  of  Field-mice  in  human  form, 
their  clothes,  in  the  shape  of  Mice,  hanging  over 
the  sides  of  the  house.  Some  had  their  clothing 
all  off  down  to  their  waists,  and  were  betting  as 
hard  as  they  could  and  talking  with  one  another. 

As  soon  as  the  two  brothers  entered,  they  said : 
"  Who  comes?" 

The  Two  answered  :  "  We  come." 

"  Come  in,  come  in,"  cried  the  Mice, — they  were 
not  very  polite.  "  Sit  down  and  have  a  game. 
We  have  not  anything  to  bet  just  now,  but  if  you 
trust  us  we  will  bet  with  you." 


The  Maiden  of  the  Yellow  Rocks       125 

"What  had  you  in  mind  in  coming?"  said  an 
old  Field-mouse  with  a  broken  tail. 

They  answered  that  they  had  come  because  they 
heard  voices.  Then  they  told  their  story. 

"  What  is  this  you  have  to  do  ?  "  asked  the  Mice. 

"  To  clean  all  the  hair  off  those  pelts  tomorrow." 

The  Mice  looked  around  at  one  another ;  their 
eyes  fairly  sparkled  and  burned. 

"  Now,  then,  we  will  help  you  if  you  will  promise 
us  something,"  said  they  ;  "  but  we  want  your  sol 
emn  promise." 

41  What  is  that  ?  "  asked  the  brothers. 

"  That  you  will  give  us  all  the  hair." 

"Oh,  yes,"  said  the  brothers;  "we  will  be  glad 
to  get  rid  of  it." 

"  All  right,"  said  they  ;  "where  are  the  skins?" 
Then  they  all  began  to  pour  out  of  the  place,  and 
they  were  so  numerous  that  it  was  like  water,  when 
the  rain  is  falling  hard,  running  over  a  rock. 

When  they  had  all  run  out  the  two  War-gods 
drew  the  skins  on  the  bank,  and  the  Field-mice 
went  to  nibbling  the  hair  and  cleaning  off  the  un 
derside.  They  made  up  little  bundles  of  the  flesh 
from  the  skins  for  their  food,  and  great  parcels  of  the 
hair.  Finally  they  said  :  "  May  we  have  them  all  ?  " 

"  No,"  said  the  brothers,  "  we  must  have  eight 
reserved,  four  for  each,  so  that  we  will  be  hard  at 
work  all  day  tomorrow." 

"Well,"  said  the  Mice,  "we  can't  consent  to 
leaving  even  so  many,  unless  you  promise  that  you 
will  gather  up  all  the  hair  and  put  it  somewhere  so 
that  we  can  get  it." 


i26  Zufii  Folk  Tales 

The  Two  promised  that,  and  said  :  "  Be  sure  to 
leave  eight  skins,  will  you  ?  and  we  will  go  to  bed 
and  rest  ourselves." 

"  All  right,  all  right !  "  responded  the  Field-mice. 

So  the  brothers  climbed  up  the  hill  to  the  town, 
and  up  the  ladder,  and  slept  in  their  room. 

The  next  morning  the  girl  said  :  "  Now,  remem 
ber,  you  will  have  to  clean  every  skin  and  make  it 
soft  and  white." 

So  they  went  down  to  the  river  and  started  to 
work.  The  girl  had  said  to  them  that  at  midday 
she  would  go  down  and  see  how  they  were  getting 
along.  They  were  at  work  nearly  all  the  forenoon 
on  the  skins.  While  the  elder  brother  shaved  the 
hair  off,  the  younger  one  scraped  them  thin  and 
softened  them. 

When  the  maiden  came  at  noon,  she  said  :  "  How 
are  you  getting  along  ?  " 

"  We  have  finished  four  and  are  at  work  on  the 
fifth." 

"  Remember,"  said  she,  "  you  must  finish  all  of 
them  today  or  I  shall  have  to  send  you  home." 

So  they  worked  away  until  a  little  before  the 
sun  set,  when  she  appeared  again.  They  had  just 
finished  the  last.  The  Field-mice  had  carefully 
dressed  all  the  others  (they  did  it  better  than  the 
men),  and  there  they  lay  spread  out  on  the  sands 
like  a  great  field  of  something  growing,  only 
white. 

When  the  maiden  came  down  she  was  perfectly 
overcome  ;  she  looked  and  looked  and  counted  and 
recounted.  She  found  them  all  there.  Then  she 


The  Maiden  of  the  Yellow  Rocks      127 

got  a  long  pole  and  fished  in  the  water,  but  there 
were  none. 

Said  she  :  "  Yes,  you  shall  be  my  husbands  ;  I 
shall  have  to  submit." 

She  went  home  with  them,  and  for  a  long  time 
they  all  lived  together,  the  woman  with  her  two 
husbands.  They  managed  to  get  along  very  com 
fortably,  and  the  two  brothers  did  n't  quarrel  any 
more  than  they  had  done  before. 

Finally,  there  were  born  little  twin  boys,  exactly 
like  their  fathers,  who  were  also  twins,  although 
one  was  called  the  elder  and  the  other  the  younger. 

After  a  time  the  younger  brother  said  :  "  Now, 
let  us  go  home  to  our  grandmother.  People  al 
ways  go  home  to  their  own  houses  and  take  their 
families  with  them." 

"  No,"  said  the  elder  one,  "you  must  remember 
that  we  have  been  only  pretending  to  be  human 
beings.  It  would  not  do  to  take  the  maiden  home 
with  us." 

"  Yes,"  said  the  other ;  "  I  want  her  to  go  with 
us.  Our  grandmother  kept  making  fun  of  us ; 
called  us  little,  miserable,  wretched  creatures.  I 
want  to  show  her  that  we  amount  to  something  ! " 

The  elder  brother  could  not  get  the  younger 
one  to  leave  the  wife  behind,  and  like  a  dutiful 
wife  she  said  :  "  I  will  go  with  you."  They  made 
up  their  bundles  and  started  out.  It  was  a  very 
hot  day,  and  when  they  had  climbed  nearly  to  the 
top  of  Thunder  Mountain,  the  younger  brother 
said  :  "  Ahem  !  I  am  tired.  Let  us  sit  down  and 
rest." 


128  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

"  It  will  not  do,"  said  the  elder  brother.  "  You 
know  very  well  it  will  not  do  to  sit  down  ;  our 
father,  the  Sun,  has  forbidden  that  we  should  be 
among  mortals.  It  will  not  do." 

"  Oh,  yes,  it  will ;  we  must  sit  down  here,"  said 
the  younger  brother  ;  and  again  his  wish  prevailed 
and  they  sat  down. 

At  midday  the  Sun  stood  still  in  the  sky,  and 
looked  down  and  saw  this  beautiful  woman,  and  by 
the  power  of  his  withdrawing  rays  quickly  snatched 
her  from  them  while  they  were  sitting  there  talking, 
she  carrying  her  little  children. 

The  brothers  looked  around  and  said  :  "  Where  is 
our  wife  ?  " 

"  Ah,  there  she  is,"  cried  the  younger ;  "  I  will 
shoot  her." 

"  Shoot  your  wife  ! "  cried  the  elder  brother. 
"  No,  let  her  go  !  Serves  you  right !  " 

"No,"  said  the  younger,  "I  will  shoot  her!" 
He  looked  up  and  drew  his  arrow,  and  as  his  aim 
was  absolutely  unerring,  swish  went  the  arrow 
directly  to  her,  and  she  was  killed.  The  power  of 
life  by  which  the  Sun  was  drawing  her  up  was  gone, 
the  thread  was  cut,  and  she  fell  over  and  over  and 
struck  the  earth. 

The  two  little  children  were  so  very  small,  and 
their  bones  so  soft,  that  the  fall  did  not  hurt  them 
much.^  They  fell  on  the  soft  bank,  and  rolled  and 
rolled  down  the  hill,  and  the  younger  brother  ran 
forward  and  caught  them  up  in  his  arms,  crying : 
"  Oh,  my  little  children  ! "  and  brought  them  to  the 
elder  brother,  who  said  :  "  Now,  what  can  be  done 


The  Maiden  of  the  Yellow 


with  these  little  babies,  with  no  mother,  no 
food  ?  " 

"  We  will  take  them  home  to  grandmother,"  said 
the  younger  brother. 

"Your  grandmother  cannot  take  care  of  these 
babies,"  said  the  elder  brother. 

"  Yes,  she  can,  of  course,"  said  the  younger 
brother.  "  Come  on,  come  on  !  I  did  n't  want  to 
lose  my  wife  and  children,  too  ;  I  thought  I  must 
still  have  the  children  ;  that  is  the  reason  why  I 
shot  her." 

So  one  of  them  took  one  of  the  children,  and  the 
other  one  took  the  other,  and  they  carried  them  up 
to  the  top  of  Thunder  Mountain. 

"Now,  then,"  said  the  elder  brother,  "we  went 
off  to  marry  ;  we  come  home  with  no  wife  and  two 
little  children  and  with  nothing  to  feed  them." 

"Oh,  grandmother!"  called  out  the  younger 
brother. 

The  old  woman  had  n't  heard  them  for  many  a 
day,  for  many  a  month,  even  for  years.  She  looked 
out  and  said  :  "  My  grandchildren  are  coming,"  and 
she  called  to  them  :  "  I  am  so  glad  you  have  come  !  " 

"  Here,  see  what  we  have,"  said  the  younger 
brother.  "  Here  are  your  grandchildren.  Come 
and  take  them  !  " 

"  Oh,  you  miserable  boy,  you  are  always  doing 
something  foolish  ;  where  is  your  wife  ?  "  asked  the 
grandmother. 

"  Oh,  I  shot  her  !  "  was  the  response. 

"Why  did  you  do  that?" 

"  I  did  n't  want  my  father,  the  Sun,  to  take  them 


130  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

away  with  my  wife.  I  knew  you  would  not  care 
anything  about  my  wife,  but  I  knew  you  would  be 
very  fond  of  the  grandchildren.  Here  they  are." 

But  she  would  n't  look  at  all.  So  the  younger 
brother  drew  his  face  down,  and  taking  the  poor 
little  children  in  his  arms  said  :  "  You  unnatural 
grandmother,  you  !  Here  are  two  nice  little  grand 
children  for  you  ! " 

She  said :  "  How  shall  I  feed  them  ?  or  what 
shall  I  do  with  them  ?  " 

He  replied  :  "  Oh,  take  care  of  them,  take  care 
of  them  ! " 

She  took  a  good  look  at  them,  and  became  a  true 
grandmother.  She  ran  and  clasped  the  little  ones, 
crying  out :  "  Let  me  take  you  away  from  these 
miserable  children  of  mine  ! "  She  made  some  beds 
of  sand  for  them,  as  Zuni  mothers  do  today,  got 
some  soft  skins  for  them  to  lie  on,  and  fed  them 
with  a  kind  of  milk  made  of  corn  toasted  and 
ground  and  mixed  with  water ;  so  that  they  gradu 
ally  enlarged  and  grew  up  to  be  nice  children. 

Thus  it  was  in  the  days  of  the  ancients,  and  has 
been  told  to  us  in  these  days,  that  even  the  most 
cruel  and  heartless  of  the  gods  do  these  things. 
Even  they  took  these  helpless  children  to  their 
grandmother,  and  she  succored  them  and  brought 
them  up  to  the  time  of  reason.  Therefore  it  is  the 
duty  of  those  who  find  helpless  babies  or  children, 
inasmuch  as  they  are  not  so  cruel  and  terrible  as 
were  the  Gods  of  War, — not  nearly, — surely  it  is 
their  duty  to  take  those  children  and  succor  and 


The  Maiden  of  the  Yellow  Rocks      131 

bring  them  up  to  the  time  of  reason,  when  they  can 
care  for  themselves.     That  is  why  our  people,  when 
children  have  been  abandoned,  provide  and  care  for 
them  as  if  they  were  their  own. 
Thus  long  is  my  story. 


THE  FOSTER-CHILD  OF  THE  DEER 

ONCE,  long,  long  ago,  at  Hawikuh,  there  lived 
a  maiden  most  beautiful.  In  her  earlier 
years  her  father,  who  was  a  great  priest,  had 
devoted  her  to  sacred  things,  and  therefore  he 
kept  her  always  in  the  house  secure  from  the  gaze 
of  all  men,  and  thus  she  grew. 

She  was  so  beautiful  that  when  the  Sun  looked 
down  along  one  of  the  straight  beams  of  his  own 
light,  if  one  of  those  beams  chanced  to  pass  through 
a  chink  in  the  roof,  the  sky-hole,  or  the  windows 
of  the  upper  part  of  the  maiden's  room,  he  beheld 
her  and  wondered  at  her  rare  beauty,  unable  to 
compare  it  with  anything  he  saw  in  his  great 
journeys  round  about  the  worlds.  Thus,  as  the 
maiden  grew  apace  and  became  a  young  woman, 
the  Sun  loved  her  exceedingly,  and  as  time  went 
on  he  became  so  enamored  of  her  that  he  de 
scended  to  earth  and  entered  on  one  of  his  own 
beams  of  light  into  her  apartment,  so  that  suddenly, 
while  she  was  sitting  one  noon-day  weaving  pretty 
baskets,  there  stood  before  her  a  glorious  youth, 
gloriously  dressed.  It  was  the  Sun-father.  He 
looked  upon  her  gently  and  lovingly  ;  she  looked 
upon  him  not  fearfully  :  and  so  it  came  about  that 
she  loved  him  and  he  loved  her,  and  he  won  her 
to  be  his  wife.  And  many  were  the  days  in  which 
he  visited  her  and  dwelt  with  her  for  a  space  at 
noon-time  ;  but  as  she  was  alone  mostly,  or  as  she 

132 


The  Foster-Child  of  the  Deer         133 

kept  sitting  weaving  her  trays  when  any  one  of  the 
family  entered  her  apartment,  no  one  suspected  this. 

Now,  as  she  knew  that  she  had  been  devoted  to 
sacred  things,  and  that  if  she  explained  how  it  was 
that  she  was  a  mother  she  would  not  be  believed, 
she  was  greatly  exercised  in  mind  and  heart.  She 
therefore  decided  that  when  her  child  was  born 
she  would  put  it  away  from  her. 

When  the  time  came,  the  child  one  night  was 
born.  She  carefully  wrapped  the  little  baby  boy 
in  some  soft  cotton-wool,  and  in  the  middle  of  the 
night  stole  out  softly  over  the  roof-tops,  and, 
silently  descending,  laid  the  child  on  the  sheltered 
side  of  a  heap  of  refuse  near  the  little  stream  that 
flows  by  Hawikuh,  in  the  valley  below.  Then, 
mourning  as  a  mother  will  mourn  for  her  off 
spring,  she  returned  to  her  room  and  lay  herself 
down,  poor  thing,  to  rest. 

As  daylight  was  breaking  in  the  east,  and  the 
hills  and  the  valleys  were  coming  forth  one  after 
another  from  the  shadows  of  night,  a  Deer  with 
her  two  little  brightly-speckled  fawns  descended 
from  the  hills  to  the  south  across  the  valley,  with 
ears  and  eyes  alert,  and  stopped  at  the  stream  to 
drink.  While  drinking  they  were  startled  by  an 
infant's  cry,  and,  looking  up,  they  saw  dust  and 
cotton-wool  and  other  things  flying  about  in  the 
air,  almost  as  if  a  little  whirlwind  were  blowing 
on  the  site  of  the  refuse-heap  where  the  child  had 
been  laid.  It  was  the  child,  who,  waking  and  find 
ing  itself  alone,  hungry,  and  cold,  was  crying  and 
throwing  its  little  hands  about. 


134  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

"  Bless  my  delight  !  "  cried  the  Deer  to  her  fawns. 
"  I  have  this  day  found  a  waif,  a  child,  and  though 
it  be  human  it  shall  be  mine  ;  for,  see,  my  chil 
dren,  I  love  you  so  much  that  surely  I  could  love 
another." 

Thereupon  she  approached  the  little  infant,  and 
breathed  her  warm  breath  upon  it  and  caressed  it 
until  it  became  quiet,  and  then  after  wrapping 
about  it  the  cotton-wool,  she  gently  lifted  it  on  her 
broad  horns,  and,  turning,  carried  it  steadily  away 
toward  the  south,  followed  on  either  side  by  her 
children,  who  kept  crying  out  "  Neh  !  neh  !  "  in 
their  delight. 

The  home  of  this  old  Deer  and  her  little  ones, 
where  all  her  children  had  been  born  for  years, 
was  south  of  Hawikuh,  in  the  valley  that  turns  off 
among  the  ledges  of  rocks  near  the  little  spring 
called  Poshaan.  There,  in  the  shelter  of  a  clump 
of  pinon  and  cedar  trees,  was  a  soft  and  warm 
retreat,  winter  and  summer,  and  this  was  the  lair 
of  the  Deer  and  her  young. 

The  Deer  was  no  less  delighted  than  surprised 
next  morning  to  find  that  the  infant  had  grown 
apace,  for  she  had  suckled  it  with  her  own  milk, 
and  that  before  the  declining  of  the  sun  it  was  al 
ready  creeping  about.  And  greater  was  her  sur 
prise  and  delight,  as  day  succeeded  day,  to  find 
that  the  child  grew  even  more  swiftly  than  grow 
the  children  of  the  Deer.  Behold !  on  the  evening 
of  the  fourth  day  it  was  running  about  and  playing 
with  its  foster  brother  and  sister.  Nor  was  it  slow 
of  foot,  even  as  compared  with  those  little  Deer. 


The  Foster-Child  of  the  Deer         135 

Behold !  yet  greater  cause  for  wonder,  on  the 
eighth  day  it  was  a  youth  fair  to  look  upon — look 
ing  upon  itself  and  seeing  that  it  had  no  clothing,  and 
wondering  why  it  was  not  clothed,  like  its  brother 
and  sister,  in  soft  warm  hair  with  pretty  spots  upon  it. 

As  time  went  on,  this  little  foster-child  of  the 
Deer  (it  must  always  be  remembered  that  it  was 
the  offspring  of  the  Sun-father  himself),  in  playing 
with  his  brother  and  sister,  and  in  his  runnings 
about,  grew  wondrously  strong,  and  even  swifter 
of  foot  than  the  Deer  themselves,  and  learned  the 
language  of  the  Deer  and  all  their  ways. 

When  he  had  become  perfected  in  all  that  a  Deer 
should  know,  the  Deer-mother  led  him  forth  into 
the  wilds  and  made  him  acquainted  with  the  great 
herd  to  which  she  belonged.  They  were  exceed 
ingly  happy  with  this  addition  to  their  number ; 
much  they  loved  him,  and  so  sagacious  was  the 
youth  that  he  soon  became  the  leader  of  the  Deer 
of  the  Hawikuh  country. 

When  these  Deer  and  the  Antelopes  were  out 
on  the  mesas  ranging  to  and  fro,  there  at  their 
head  ran  the  swift  youth.  The  soles  of  his  feet 
became  as  hard  as  the  hoofs  of  the  Deer,  the  skin 
of  his  person  strong  and  dark,  the  hair  of  his  head 
long  and  waving  and  as  soft  as  the  hair  on  the. 
sides  of  the  Deer  themselves. 

It  chanced  one  morning,  late  that  summer,  that 
the  uncle  of  the  maiden  who  had  cast  away  her 
child  went  out  hunting,  and  he  took  his  way  south 
ward  past  Poshaan,  the  lair  of  the  Deer-mother 
and  her  foster-child.  As  he  traversed  the  borders 


Zuni  Folk  Tales 

of  the  great  mesas  that  lie  beyond,  he  saw  a  vast 
herd  of  Deer  gathered,  as  people  gather  in  council. 
They  were  quiet  and  seemed  to  be  listening  in 
tently  to  some  one  in  their  midst.  The  hunter 
stole  along  carefully  on  hands  and  knees,  twisting 
himself  among  the  bushes  until  he  came  nearer  ; 
and  what  was  his  wonder  when  he  beheld,  in  the 
midst  of  the  Deer,  a  splendid  youth,  broad  of 
shoulder,  tall  and  strong  of  limb,  sitting  nude  and 
graceful  on  the  ground,  and  the  old  Deer  and  the 
young  seemed  to  be  paying  attention  to  what  he 
was  saying.  The  hunter  rubbed  his  eyes  and 
looked  again  ;  and  again  he  looked,  shading  his 
eyes  with  his  hands.  Then  he  elevated  himself  to 
peer  yet  more  closely,  and  the  sharp  eyes  of  the 
youth  discovered  him.  With  a  shout  he  lifted  him 
self  to  his  feet  and  sped  away  like  the  wind,  fol 
lowed  by  the  whole  herd,  their  hoofs  thundering, 
and  soon  they  were  all  out  of  sight. 

The  hunter  dropped  his  bow  and  stood  there 
musing  ;  then  picking  it  up,  he  turned  himself  about 
and  ran  toward  Hawikuh  as  fast  as  he  could. 
When  he  arrived  he  related  to  the  father  of  the 
girl  what  he  had  seen.  The  old  priest  summoned 
his  hunters  and  warriors  and  bade  the  uncle  repeat 
the  story.  Many  there  were  who  said  :  "  You  have 
seen  an  apparition,  and  of  evil  omen  to  your  family, 
alas  !  alas  !  " 

"  No,"  said  he,  "  I  looked,  and  again  I  looked, 
and  yet  again,  and  again,  and  I  avow  to  you  that 
what  I  saw  was  as  plain  and  as  mortal  as  the  Deer 
themselves." 


The  Foster-Child  of  the  Deer         137 

Convinced  at  last,  the  council  decided  to  form 
a  grand  hunt,  and  word  was  given  from  the  house 
tops  that  on  the  fourth  day  from  that  day  a  hunt 
should  be  undertaken — that  the  southern  mesa 
should  be  surrounded,  and  that  the  people  should 
gather  in  from  all  sides  and  encompass  the  herd 
there,  in  order  that  this  wonderful  youth  should  not 
escape  being  seen,  or  possibly  captured. 

Now,  when  the  Deer  had  gone  to  a  safe  distance 
they  slackened  their  pace  and  called  to  their  leader 
not  to  fear.  And  the  old  foster-mother  of  the 
youth  for  the  first  time  related  to  him,  as  she  had 
related  to  them  long  ago,  that  he  was  the  child  of 
mortals,  telling  how  she  had  found  him. 

The  youth  sat  with  his  head  bowed,  thinking  of 
these  things.  Then  he  raised  his  head  proudly, 
and  said  :  "  What  though  I  be  the  child  of  mortals, 
they  have  not  loved  me :  they  have  cast  me  from 
their  midst,  therefore  will  I  be  faithful  to  thee 
alone." 

But  the  old  Deer-mother  said  to  him  :  "  Hush, 
my  child  !  Thou  art  but  a  mortal,  and  though  thou 
might'st  live  on  the  roots  of  the  trees  and  the 
bushes  and  plants  that  mature  in  autumn,  yet 
surely  in  the  winter  time  thou  could'st  not  live,  for 
my  supply  of  milk  will  be  withholden,  and  the 
fruits  and  the  nuts  will  all  be  gone." 

And  the  older  members  of  that  large  herd  gath 
ered  round  and  repeated  what  she  had  been  saying. 
And  they  said :  "  We  are  aware  that  we  shall  be 
hunted  now,  as  is  the  invariable  custom  when  our 
herd  has  been  discovered,  on  the  fourth  day  from 


138  Zufti  Folk  Tales 

the  day  on  which  we  were  first  seen.  Amongst 
the  people  who  come  there  will  be,  no  doubt,  those 
who  will  seek  you ;  and  you  must  not  endeavor  to 
escape.  Even  we  ourselves  are  accustomed  to 
give  up  our  lives  to  the  brave  hunters  among  this 
people,  for  many  of  them  are  sacred  of  thought, 
sacred  of  heart,  and  make  due  sacrifices  unto  us, 
that  our  lives  in  other  form  may  be  spared  un 
ceasingly." 

A  splendid  Deer  rose  from  the  midst  of  the 
herd,  and,  coming  forward,  laid  his  cheek  on  the 
cheek  of  the  boy,  and  said  :  "  Yet  we  love  you,  but 
we  must  now  part  from  you.  And,  in  order  that 
you  may  be  like  unto  other  mortals,  only  exceeding 
them,  accompany  me  to  the  Land  of  the  Souls  of 
Men,  where  sit  in  council  the  Gods  of  the  Sacred 
Dance  and  Drama,  the  Gods  of  the  Spirit 
World." 

To  all  this  the  youth,  being  convinced,  agreed. 
And  on  that  same  day  the  Deer  who  had  spoken 
set  forward,  the  swift  youth  running  by  his  side, 
toward  the  Lake  of  the  Dead.  On  and  on  they 
sped,  and  as  night  was  falling  they  came  to  the 
borders  of  that  lake,  and  the  lights  were  shining 
over  its  middle  and  the  Gardens  of  the  Sacred 
Dance.  And  the  old  Drama-woman  and  the  old 
Drama-man  were  walking  on  its  shores,  back  and 
forth,  calling  across  to  each  other. 

As  the  Deer  neared  the  shore  of  the  lake,  he 
turned  and  said  to  his  companion  :  "  Step  in  boldly 
with  me.  Ladders  of  rushes  will  rise  to  receive 
you,  and  down  underneath  the  waters  into  the 


The  Foster-Child  of  the  Deer         139 

great  Halls  of  the  Dead  and  of  the  Sacred  Dance 
we  will  be  borne  gently  and  swiftly." 

Then  they  stepped  into  the  lake.  Brighter  and 
lighter  it  grew.  Great  ladders  of  rushes  and  flags 
lifted  themselves  from  the  water,  and  upon  them 
the  Deer  and  his  companion  were  borne  downward 
into  halls  of  splendor,  lighted  by  many  lights  and 
fires.  And  in  the  largest  chamber  the  gods  were 
sitting  in  council  silently.  Pautiwa,  the  Sun-priest 
of  the  Sacred  Drama  (Kdkd),  Shulawitsi  (the 
God  of  Fire),  with  his  torch  of  ever-living  flame, 
and  many  others  were  there ;  and  when  the 
strangers  arrived  they  greeted  and  were  greeted, 
and  were  given  a  place  in  the  light  of  the  central 
fire.  And  in  through  the  doors  of  the  west  and  the 
north  and  the  east  and  the  south  filed  long  rows  of 
sacred  dancers,  those  who  had  passed  through  the 
Lake  of  the  Dead,  clad  in  cotton  mantles,  white  as 
the  daylight,  finely  embroidered,  decked  with  many 
a  treasure  shell  and  turquoise  stone.  These  per 
formed  their  sacred  rites,  to  the  delight  of  the  gods 
and  the  wonder  of  the  Deer  and  his  foster-brother. 

And  when  the  dancers  had  retired,  Pautiwa,  the 
Sun-priest  of  the  Sacred  Dance,  arose,  and  said  : 
"  What  would'st  thou  ?  " — though  he  knew  full  well 
beforehand.  "  What  would'st  thou,  oh,  Deer  of 
the  forest  mesas,  with  thy  companion,  thy  foster- 
brother ;  for  not  thinking  of  nothing  would  one 
visit  the  home  of  the  Kdkd." 

Then  the  Deer  lifted  his  head  and  told  his  story. 

"  It  is  well,"  said  the  gods. 

"  Appear,    my    faithful    one,"    said    Pautiwa   to 


140  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

Shulawitsi.  And  Shulawitsi  appeared  and  waved 
his  flame  around  the  youth,  so  that  he  became  con 
vinced  of  his  mortal  origin  and  of  his  dependence 
upon  food  prepared  by  fire.  Then  the  gods  who 
speak  the  speech  of  men  gathered  around  and 
breathed  upon  the  youth,  and  touched  to  his  lips 
moisture  from  their  own  mouths,  and  touched  the 
portals  of  his  ears  with  oil  from  their  own  ears,  and 
thus  was  the  youth  made  acquainted  with  both  the 
speech  and  the  understanding  of  the  speech  of 
mortal  man.  Then  the  gods  called  out,  and  there 
were  brought  before  them  fine  garments  of  white 
cotton  embroidered  in  many  colors,  rare  necklaces 
of  sacred  shell  with  many  turquoises  and  coral-like 
stones  and  shells  strung  in  their  midst,  and  all  that 
the  most  beautifully  clad  of  our  ancients  could  have 
glorified  their  appearance  with.  Such  things  they 
brought  forth,  and,  making  them  into  a  bundle, 
laid  them  at  the  feet  of  the  youth.  Then  they 
said :  "  Oh,  youth,  oh,  brother  and  father,  since 
thou  art  the  child  of  the  Sun,  who  is  the  father  of  us 
all,  go  forth  with  thy  foster-brother  to  thy  last  meet 
ing-place  with  him  and  with  his  people  ;  and  when 
on  the  day  after  the  morrow  hunters  shall  gather 
from  around  thy  country,  some  of  ye,  oh,  Deer," 
said  he,  turning  to  the  Deer,  ''yield  thyselves  up 
that  ye  may  die  as  must  thy  kind  ever  continue 
to  die,  for  the  sake  of  this  thy  brother." 

"  I    will   lead   them,"  simply  replied   the    Deer. 
"  Thanks." 

And  Pautiwa  continued  :  "  Here  full  soon  wilt 
thou  be  gathered  in  our  midst,  or  with'  the  winds 


The  Foster-Child  of  the  Deer         141 

and  the  mists  of  the  air  at  night-time  wilt  sport, 
ever-living1.  Go  ye  forth,  then,  carrying  this  bun 
dle,  and,  as  ye  best  know  how,  prepare  this  our 
father  and  child  for  his  reception  among  men. 
And,  O  son  and  father,"  continued  the  priest-god, 
turning  to  the  youth,  "  Fear  not  !  Happy  wilt 
thou  be  in  the  days  to  come,  and  treasured  among 
men.  Hence  thy  birth.  Return  with  the  Deer 
and  do  as  thou  art  told  to  do.  Thy  uncle,  leading 
his  priest-youths,  will  be  foremost  in  the  hunt.  He 
will  pursue  thee  and  thy  foster-mother.  Lead 
him  far  away ;  and  when  thou  hast  so  led  him, 
cease  running  and  turn  and  wait,  and  peacefully  go 
home  whither  he  guides  thee." 

The  sounds  of  the  Sacred  Dance  came  in  from 
the  outer  apartments,  and  the  youth  and  the  Deer, 
taking  their  bundle,  departed.  More  quickly  than 
they  had  come  they  sped  away  ;  and  on  the  morn 
ing  when  the  hunters  of  Hawikuh  were  setting 
forth,  the  Deer  gathered  themselves  in  a  vast  herd 
on  the  southern  mesa,  and  they  circled  about 
the  youth  and  instructed  him  how  to  unloose  the 
bundle  he  had  brought.  Then  closer  and  closer 
came  the  Deer  to  the  youth  and  bade  him  stand 
in  his  nakedness,  and  they  ran  swiftly  about  him, 
breathing  fierce,  moist  breaths  until  hot  steam  en 
veloped  him  and  bathed  him  from  head  to  foot,  so 
that  he  was  purified,  and  his  skin  was  softened,  and 
his  hair  hung  down  in  a  smooth  yet  waving  mass 
at  the  back  of  his  head.  Then  the  youth  put  on  the 
costume,  one  article  after  another,  he  having  seen 
them  worn  by  the  Gods  of  the  Sacred  Dance,  and 


i42  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

by  the  dancers  ;  and  into  his  hair  at  the  back, 
under  the  band  which  he  placed  round  his  temples, 
he  thrust  the  glowing  feathers  of  the  macaw  which 
had  been  given  him.  Then,  seeing  that  there  was 
still  one  article  left, —  a  little  string  of  conical 
shells, — he  asked  what  that  was  for  ;  and  the  Deer 
told  him  to  tie  it  about  his  knee. 

The  Deer  gathered  around  him  once  more,  and 
the  old  chief  said  :  "  Who  among  ye  are  willing 
to  die  ? "  And,  as  if  it  were  a  festive  occasion  to 
which  they  were  going,  many  a  fine  Deer  bounded 
forth,  striving  for  the  place  of  those  who  were  to 
die,  until  a  large  number  were  gathered,  fearless 
and  ready.  Then  the  Deer  began  to  move. 

Soon  there  was  an  alarm.  In  the  north  and 
the  west  and  the  south  and  the  east  there  was 
cause  for  alarm.  And  the  Deer  began  to  scatter, 
and  then  to  assemble  and  scatter  again.  At  last 
the  hunters  with  drawn  bows  came  running  in,  and 
soon  their  arrows  were  flying  in  the  midst  of  those 
who  were  devoted,  and  Deer  after  Deer  fell,  pierced 
to  the  heart  or  other  vital  part. 

At  last  but  few  were  left, — amongst  them  the 
kind  old  Deer-mother  and  her  two  children  ;  and, 
taking  the  lead,  the  glorious  youth,  although  en 
cumbered  by  his  new  dress,  sped  forth  with  them. 
They  ran  and  ran,  the  fleetest  of  the  tribe  of 
Hawikuh  pursuing  them  ;  but  all  save  the  uncle 
and  his  brave  sons  were  soon  left  far  behind. 
The  youth's  foster-brother  was  soon  slain,  and  the 
youth,  growing  angry,  turned  about ;  then  bethink 
ing  himself  of  the  words  of  the  gods,  he  sped  away 


The  Foster-Child  of  the  Deer         143 

again.  So  his  foster-sister,  too,  was  killed  ;  but  he 
kept  on,  his  old  mother  alone  running  behind 
him.  At  last  the  uncle  and  his  sons  overtook  the 
old  mother,  and  they  merely  caught  her  and  turned 
her  away,  saying  :  "  Faithful  to  the  last  she  has 
been  to  this  youth."  Then  they  renewed  the  chase 
for  the  youth  ;  and  he  at  last,  pretending  weari 
ness,  faced  about  and  stood  like  a  stag  at  bay.  As 
soon  as  they  approached,  he  dropped  his  arms  and 
lowered  his  head.  Then  he  said  :  "  Oh,  my  uncle  " 
(for  the  gods  had  told  who  would  find  him) — "  Oh, 
my  uncle,  what  wouldst  thou  ?  Thou  hast  killed 
my  brothers  and  sisters  ;  what  wouldst  thou  with 
me?" 

The  old  man  stopped  and  gazed  at  the  youth 
in  wonder  and  admiration  of  his  fine  appearance 
and  beautiful  apparel.  Then  he  said  :  "  Why  dost 
thou  call  me  uncle  ?  " 

"  Because,  verily,"  replied  the  youth,  "  thou  art 
my  uncle,  and  thy  niece,  my  maiden-mother,  gave 
birth  to  me  and  cast  me  away  upon  a  dust-heap  ; 
and  then  my  noble  Deer  found  me  and  nourished 
me  and  cherished  me." 

The  uncle  and  his  sons  gazed  still  with  wonder. 
Then  they  thought  they  saw  in  the  youth's  clear 
eyes  and  his  soft,  oval  face  a  likeness  to  the  mother, 
and  they  said  :  "  Verily,  this  which  he  says  is  true." 
Then  they  turned  about  and  took  him  by  the  hands 
gently  and  led  him  toward  Hawikuh,  while  one 
of  them  sped  forward  to  test  the  truth  of  his 
utterances. 

When  the  messenger  arrived  at  Hawikuh  he  took 


H4  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

his  way  straight  to  the  house  of  the  priest,  and 
told  him  what  he  had  heard.  The  priest  in  anger 
summoned  the  maiden. 

"  Oh,  my  child,"  said  he,  "  hast  thou  done  this 
thing  which  we  are  told  thou  hast  done  ?  "  And 
he  related  what  he  had  been  told. 

"  Nay,  no  such  thing  have  I  done,"  said 
she. 

"  Yea,  but  thou  hast,  oh,  unnatural  mother ! 
And  who  was  the  father  ?  "  demanded  the  old  priest 
wrth  great  severity. 

Then  the  maiden,  thinking  of  her  Sun-lover, 
bowed  her  head  in  her  lap  and  rocked  herself  to 
and  fro,  and  cried  sorely.  And  then  she  said : 
"  Yea,  it  is  true  ;  so  true  that  I  feared  thy  wrath,  oh, 
my  father  !  I  feared  thy  shame,  oh,  my  mother ! 
and  what  could  I  do  ? "  Then  she  told  of  her 
lover,  the  Sun, — with  tears  she  told  it,  and  she 
cried  out  :  "  Bring  back  my  child  that  I  may  nurse 
him  and  love  but  him  alone,  and  see  him  the  father 
of  children  !  " 

By  this  time  the  hunters  arrived,  some  bringing 
game,  but  others  bringing  in  their  midst  this  won 
drous  youth,  on  whom  each  man  and  maiden  in 
Hawikuh  gazed  with  delight  and  admiration. 

They  took  him  to  the  home  of  his  priest-grand 
father  ;  and  as  though  he  knew  the  way  he  entered 
the  apartment  of  his  mother,  and  she,  rising  and 
opening  wide  her  arms,  threw  herself  on  his  breast 
and  cried  and  cried.  And  he  laid  his  hand  on  her 
head,  and  said  :  "  Oh,  mother,  weep  not,  for  I  have 
come  to  thee,  and  I  will  cherish  thee. 


The  Foster-Child  of  the  Deer         145 

So  was  the  foster-child  of  the  Deer  restored  to 
his  mother  and  his  people. 

Wondrously  wise  in  the  ways  of  the  Deer  and 
their  language  was  he — so  much  so  that,  seeing 
them,  he  understood  them.  This  youth  made 
little  ado  of  hunting,  for  he  knew  that  he  could 
pay  those  rites  and  attentions  to  the  Deer  that 
were  most  acceptable,  and  made  them  glad  of 
death  at  the  hand  of  the  hunter.  And  ere  long,  so 
great  was  his  knowledge  and  success,  and  his  pre- 
ciousness  in  the  eyes  of  the  Master  of  Life,  that 
by  his  will  and  his  arm  alone  the  tribe  of  Hawikuh 
was  fed  and  was  clad  in  buckskins. 

A  rare  and  beautiful  maiden  he  married,  and 
most  happy  was  he  with  her. 

It  was  his  custom  to  go  forth  early  in  the  morn 
ing,  when  the  Deer  came  down  to  drink  or  stretch 
themselves  and  walk  abroad  and  crop  the  grass ; 
and,  taking  his  bow  and  quiver  of  arrows,  he  would 
go  to  a  distant  mesa,  and,  calling  the  Deer  around 
him,  and  following  them  as  swiftly  as  they  ran,  he 
would  strike  them  down  in  great  numbers,  and,  re 
turning,  say  to  his  people  :  "  Go  and  bring  in  my 
game,  giving  me  only  parts  of  what  I  have  slain 
and  taking  the  rest  yourselves." 

So  you  can  readily  see  how  he  and  his  people 
became  the  greatest  people  of  Hawikuh.  Nor  is 
it  marvellous  that  the  sorcerers  of  that  tribe  should 
have  grown  envious  of  his  prosperity,  and  sought 
to  diminish  it  in  many  ways,  wherein  they  failed. 

At  last  one  night  the  Master  of  Sorcerers 
in  secret  places  raised  his  voice  and  cried : 


146  Zufii  Folk  Tales 

"  Weh-h-h-h  !  Weh-h-h-h-h-h  /  "  And  round  about 
him  presently  gathered  all  the  sorcerers  of  the 
place,  and  they  entered  into  a  deep  cavern,  large 
and  lighted  by  green,  glowing  fires,  and  there,  star 
ing  at  each  other,  they  devised  means  to  destroy 
this  splendid  youth,  the  child  of  the  Sun. 

One  of  their  number  stood  forth  and  said :  "  I 
will  destroy  him  in  his  own  vocation.  He  is  a 
hunter,  and  the  Coyote  loves  well  to  follow  the 
hunter."  His  words  were  received  with  acclama 
tion,  and  the  youth  who  had  offered  himself  sped 
forth  in  the  night  to  prepare,  by  incantation  and 
with  his  infernal  appliances,  a  disguise  for  himself. 

On  the  next  morning,  when  the  youth  went  forth 
to  hunt,  an  old  Coyote  sneaked  behind  him  after 
he  reached  the  mesas,  and,  following  stealthily, 
waited  his  throwing  down  of  the  Deer ;  and  when 
the  youth  had  called  and  killed  a  number  of  Deer 
and  sat  down  to  rest  on  a  fallen  tree,  the  Coyote 
sneaked  into  sight.  The  youth,  looking  at  him, 
merely  thought :  "  He  seeks  the  blood  of  my  slain 
Deer,"  and  he  went  on  with  his  prayers  and  sacri 
fices  to  the  dead  of  the  Deer.  But  soon,  stiffen 
ing  his  limbs,  the  Coyote  swiftly  scudded  across  the 
open,  and,  with  a  puff  from  his  mouth  and  nostrils 
like  a  sneeze  toward  the  youth,  threw  himself 
against  him  and  arose  a  man, — the  same  man  who 
had  offered  his  services  in  the  council  of  the  wiz 
ards — while  the  poor  youth,  falling  over,  ran  away, 
a  human  being  still  in  heart  and  mind,  but  in  form 
a  coyote. 

Off  to  the  southward  he  wandered,  his  tail  drag- 


The  Foster-Child  of  the  Deer         147 

ging  in  the  dust ;  and  growing  hungry  he  had 
naught  to  eat  ;  and  cold  on  the  sides  of  the  mesas 
he  passed  the  night,  and  on  the  following  morning 
wandered  still,  until  at  last,  very  hungry,  he  was 
fain  even  to  nip  the  blades  of  grass  and  eat  the 
berries  of  the  juniper.  Thus  he  became  ill  and 
worn  ;  and  one  night  as  he  was  seeking  a  warm 
place  to  lay  him  down  and  die,  he  saw  a  little  red 
light  glowing  from  the  top  of  a  hillock.  Toward 
this  light  he  took  his  way,  and  when  he  came  near 
he  saw  that  it  was  shining  up  through  the  sky-hole 
of  someone's  house.  He  peered  over  the  edge 
and  saw  an  old  Badger  with  his  grizzly  wife,  sit 
ting  before  a  fire,  not  in  the  form  of  a  badger  but 
in  the  form  of  a  little  man,  his  badger-skin  hanging 
beside  him. 

Then  the  youth  said  to  himself  :  "  I  will  cast 
myself  down  into  their  house,  thus  showing  them 
my  miserable  condition."  And  as  he  tried  to  step 
down  the  ladder,  he  fell,  teng,  on  the  floor  before 
them. 

The  Badgers  were  disgusted.  They  grabbed 
the  Coyote,  and  hauling  him  up  the  ladder,  threw 
him  into  the  plain,  where,  toonoo,  he  fell  far  away 
and  swooned  from  loss  of  breath.  When  he  re 
covered  his  thoughts  he  again  turned  toward  the 
glowing  sky-hole,  and,  crawling  feebly  back,  threw 
himself  down  into  the  room  again.  Again  he 
was  thrown  out,  but  this  time  the  Badger  said  : 
"  It  is  marvellously  strange  that  this  Coyote,  the 
miserable  fellow,  should  insist  on  coming  back, 
and  coming  back." 


148  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

"  I  have  heard,"  said  the  little  old  Badger- 
woman,  "  that  our  glorious  beloved  youth  of  Ha- 
wikuh  was  changed  some  time  ago  into  a  Coyote. 
It  may  be  he.  Let  us  see  when  he  comes  again 
if  it  be  he.  For  the  love  of  mercy,  let  us 
see  ! " 

Ere  long  the  youth  again  tried  to  clamber  down 
the  ladder,  and  fell  with  a  thud  on  the  floor  before 
them.  A  long  time  he  lay  there  senseless,  but  at 
last  opened  his  eyes  and  looked  about.  The 
Badgers  eagerly  asked  if  he  were  the  same  who 
had  been  changed  into  a  Coyote,  or  condemned 
to  inhabit  the  form  of  one.  The  youth  could  only 
move  his  head  in  acquiescence. 

Then  the  Badgers  hastily  gathered  an  emetic 
and  set  it  to  boil,  and  when  ready  they  poured  the 
fluid  down  the  throat  of  the  seeming  Coyote,  and 
tenderly  held  him  and  pitied  him.  Then  they 
laid  him  before  the  fire  to  warm  him.  Then  the 
old  Badger,  looking  about  in  some  of  his  burrows, 
found  a  sacred  rock  crystal,  and  heating  it  to 
glowing  heat  in  the  fire,  he  seared  the  palms  of 
the  youth's  hands,  the  soles  of  his  feet,  and  the 
crown  of  his  head,  repeating  incantations  as  he 
performed  this  last  operation,  whereupon  the  skin 
burst  and  fell  off,  and  the  youth,  haggard  and  lean, 
lay  before  them.  They  nourished  him  as  best 
they  could,  and,  when  well  recovered,  sent  him  home 
to  join  his  people  again  and  render  them  happy. 
Clad  in  his  own  fine  garments,  happy  of  counte 
nance  and  handsome  as  before,  and,  according  to 
his  regular  custom,  bearing  a  Deer  on  his  back, 


The  Foster-Child  of  the  Deer         149 

returned  the   youth  to    his   people,  and  there  he 
lived  most  happily. 

As  I  have  said,  this  was  in  the  days  of  the  ancients, 
and  it  is  because  this  youth  lived  so  long  with  the 
Deer  and  became  acquainted  with  their  every  way 
and  their  every  word,  and  taught  all  that  he  knew 
to  his  children  and  to  others  whom  he  took  into 
his  friendship,  that  we  have  today  a  class  of  men— 
the  Sacred  Hunters  of  our  tribe, — who  surpassingly 
understand  the  ways  and  the  language  of  the  Deer. 

Thus  shortens  my  story. 


THE    BOY    HUNTER    WHO    NEVER 

SACRIFICED  TO  THE  DEER 

HE   HAD  SLAIN  : 

OR    THE    ORIGIN    OF    THE    SOCIETY    OF    RATTLESNAKES 

I N  very  ancient  times,  there  lived  at  Ta'ia,1  below 
*  the  Zuni  Mountains,  an  old  shiwani  or  priest- 
chief,  who  had  a  young  son  named  Heasailuhtiwa 
("  Metal-hand  "),  famed  throughout  the  land  of  the 
Zunis  for  his  success  in  hunting. 

When  very  young,  this  lad  had  said  to  his 
parents  :  "  My  old  ones,  let  me  go  away  from  the 
home  of  my  fathers  and  dwell  by  myself." 

"  Why  do  you,  a  young  boy,  wish  to  go  and 
dwell  by  yourself,  my  son  ?  Know  you  not  that 
you  would  fare  but  badly,  for  you  are  careless  and 
forgetful?  No,  no  !  remain  with  us,  that  we  may 
care  for  you." 

But  the  boy  answered  :  "  Why  should  I  fare 
badly  ?  Can  I  not  hunt  my  own  game  and  roast 
the  meat  over  the  fire?  It  is  because  you  never 
care  to  have  me  go  forth  alone  that  I  wish  to  live 
by  myself,  for  I  long  to  travel  far  and  hunt  deer  in 
the  mountains  of  many  countries  :  yet  whenever  I 
start  forth  you  call  me  back,  and  it  is  painful  to 
my  longing  thoughts  thus  to  be  held  back  when  I 
would  go  forward." 

It  was  not  until  the  lad  had  spoken  thus  again 

1  The  native  name  of  the  Zuni  town  of  Las  Nutrias. 
150 


The  Boy  Hunter  151 

and  again,  and  once  more,  that  the  parents  sadly 
yielded  to  his  wish.  They  insisted,  however,  much 
to  the  boy's  displeasure,  that  his  younger  sister, 
Waiasialuhtitsa,  should  go  with  him,  only  to  look 
after  his  house,  and  to  remind  him  here  and  there, 
at  times,  of  his  forgetfulness.  So  the  brother  and 
sister  chose  the  lofty  rooms  of  a  high  house  in  the 
upper  part  of  the  pueblo  and  lived  there. 

The  boy  each  day  went  out  hunting  and  failed 
not  each  time  to  bring  in  slain  animals,  while  the 
sister  cooked  for  him  and  looked  after  the  house. 
Yet,  although  the  boy  was  a  great  hunter,  he  never 
sacrificed  to  the  Deer  he  had  slain,  nor  to  the  Gods 
of  Prey  who  delight  in  aiding  the  hunter  who  re 
news  them  ;  for  the  lad  was  forgetful  and  careless 
of  all  things. 

One  day  he  went  forth  over  the  mountain  toward 
the  north,  until  he  came  to  the  Waters  of  the  Bear. 1 
There  he  started  up  a  huge  Buck,  and,  finding  the 
trail,  followed  it  far  toward  the  northward.  Yet, 
although  swift  of  foot,  the  youth  could  not  over 
take  the  running  Deer,  and  thus  it  happened  that 
he  went  on  and  on,  past  mesas,  valleys,  and  moun 
tains,  until  he  came  to  the  brink  of  a  great  river 
which  flows  westwardly  from  the  north.2  On  the 
banks  of  this  great  river  grew  forests  of  cotton- 
wood,  and  into  the  thickets  of  these  forests  led 
the  trail,  straight  toward  the  river  bank.  Just  as 
the  young  man  was  about  to  follow  the  track  to  the 

1  Ainshik'yanakwin,  or  Bear  Spring,  where  Fort  Wingate  now  stands. 
8  Probably  Green  River,  or  some  important  tributary  of  the  Colorado 
Grande. 


152  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

bank,  he  thought  he  saw  under  a  large  tree  in  the 
midst  of  the  thickets  the  form  of  the  Deer,  so, 
bending  very  low,  he  ran  around  close  to  the  bank, 
and  came  up  between  the  river  and  the  thicket. 

As  he  guardedly  approached  the  tree,  his  eyes 
now  following  the  track,  now  glancing  up,  he  dis 
covered  a  richly  dressed,  handsome  young  man, 
who  called  out  to  him  :  "  How  art  thou  these  days, 
and  whither  art  thou  going  ?  " 

The  young  man  straightened  up,  and  quickly 
drawing  his  breath,  replied  :  "  I  am  hunting  a  Deer 
whose  tracks  I  have  followed  all  the  way  from  the 
Waters  of  the  Bear." 

"  Indeed  !  "  exclaimed  the  stranger,  "  and  where 
has  thy  Deer  gone  ?  " 

"  I  know  not,"  replied  the  youth,  "  for  here  are 
his  tracks."  Then  he  observed  that  they  led  to 
the  place  where  the  stranger  was  sitting,  and  the 
latter  at  the  same  time  remarked  : 

"  I  am  the  Deer,  and  it  was  as  I  would  have  it 
that  I  enticed  thee  hither." 

"  Hai-l !  "  exclaimed  the  young  man. 

"  Aye,"  continued  the  stranger.  "  Alas  !  alas  ! 
thou  forgetful  one !  Thou  hast  day  after  day 
chased  my  children  over  the  plains  and  slain 
them  ;  thou  hast  made  thyself  happy  of  their  flesh, 
and  of  their  flesh  added  unto  thine  own  meat  and 
that  of  thy  kindred ;  but,  alas !  thou  hast  been 
forgetful  and  careless,  and  not  once  hast  thou 
given  unto  their  souls  the  comfort  of  that  which 
they  yearn  for  and  need.  Yet  hast  thou  had 
good  fortune  in  the  chase.  At  last  the  Sun- 


The  Boy  Hunter  153 

father  has  listened  to  the  supplications  of  my 
children  and  commanded  that  I  bring  thee  here, 
and  here  have  I  brought  thee.  Listen !  The 
Sun-father  commands  that  thou  shalt  visit  him 
in  his  house  at  the  western  end  of  the  world,  and 
these  are  his  instructions." 

"  Indeed  !  Well,  I  suppose  it  must  be,  and  it 
is  well !  "  exclaimed  the  young  man. 

"  And,"  continued  the  Deer-being,  "  thou  must 
hasten  home  and  call  thy  father.  Tell  him  to 
summon  his  Pithlan  Shiwani  (Priest  of  the  Bow, 
or  Warrior)  and  command  him  that  he  shall  in 
struct  his  children  to  repair  to  the  rooms  of  sacred 
things  and  prepare  plumed  prayer-sticks  for  the 
Sun-father,  the  Moon-mother,  and  the  Great 
Ocean,  and  red  plumes  of  sacrifice  for  the  Beings 
of  Prey  ;  that  fully  they  must  prepare  everything, 
for  thou,  their  child  and  father,  shalt  visit  the 
home  of  the  Sun-father,  and  in  payment  for  thy 
forgetfulness  and  carelessness  shalt  render  him, 
and  the  Moon-mother,  and  the  Beings  of  the 
Great  Ocean,  plumes  of  sacrifice.  Hasten  home, 
and  tell  thy  father  these  things.  Then  tell  thy 
sister  to  prepare  sweetened  meal  of  parched  corn 
to  serve  as  the  food  of  thy  journey,  and  pollen  of 
the  flowers  of  corn  ;  and  ask  thy  mother  to  pre 
pare  great  quantities  of  new  cotton,  and,  making 
all  these  things  into  bundles,  thou  must  sum 
mon  some  of  thy  relatives,  and  come  to  this  tree 
on  the  fourth  day  from  this  day.  Make  haste, 
for  thou  art  swift  of  foot,  and  tell  all  these 
things  to  thy  father ;  he  will  understand  thee,  for 


i54  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

is  he  not  a  priest-chief  ?  Hast  thou  knives  of 
flint?" 

"Yes,"  said  the  young  man,  "my  father  has 
many." 

"  Select  from  them  two,"  said  the  Deer-being — 
"  a  large  one  and  a  smaller  one  ;  and  when  thou 
hast  returned  to  this  place,  cut  down  with  the 
larger  knife  yonder  great  tree,  and  with  the 
smaller  knife  hollow  it  out.  Leave  the  large  end 
entire,  and  for  the  smaller  end  thou  must  make 
a  round  door,  and  around  the  inside  of  the  smaller 
end  cut  a  notch  that  shall  be  like  a  terrace  toward 
the  outside,  but  shall  slope  from  within  that  thou 
mayest  close  it  from  the  inside  with  the  round  door  ; 
then  pad  the  inside  with  cotton,  and  make  in  the 
bottom  a  padding  thicker  than  the  rest ;  but  leave 
space  that  thou  mayest  lie  thy  length,  or  sit  up 
and  eat.  And  in  the  top  cut  a  hole  larger  inside 
than  out,  that  thou  mayest  close  it  from  the  inside 
with  a  plug  of  wood.  Then  when  thou  hast  placed 
the  sweetened  meal  of  parched  corn  inside,  and 
the  plumed  prayer-sticks  and  the  sacred  pollen  of 
corn-flowers,  then  enter  thyself  and  close  the  door 
in  the  end  and  the  hole  in  the  top  that  thy  people 
may  roll  thee  into  the  river.  Thou  wilt  meet 
strange  beings  on  thy  way.  Choose  from  amongst 
them  whom  thou  shalt  have  as  a  companion,  and 
proceed,  as  thy  companion  shall  direct,  to  the 
great  mountain  where  the  Sun  enters.  Haste 
and  tell  thy  father  these  things."  And  ere  the 
youth  could  say,  "  Be  it  well,"  and,  "  I  will," 
the  Deer-being  had  vanished,  and  he  lifted  up 


The  Boy  Hunter  155 

his  face  and  started    swiftly  for   the  home  of  his 
fathers. 

At  sunset  the  sister  looked  forth  from  her  high 
house-top,  but  nowhere  could  she  see  her  brother 
coming.  She  turned  at  last  to  enter,  thinking  and 
saying  to  her  breast :  "  Alas  !  what  did  we  not  think 
and  guess  of  his  carelessness."  But  just  as  the 
country  was  growing  dim  in  the  darkness,  the 
young  man  ran  breathlessly  in,  and,  greeting  his 
sister,  sat  down  in  the  doorway. 

The  sister  wondered  that  he  had  no  deer  or 
other  game,  but  placed  a  meal  before  him,  and, 
when  he  had  done,  herself  ate.  But  the  young 
man  remained  silent  until  she  had  finished,  then 
he  said  :  "  Younger  sister,  I  am  weary  and  would 
sit  here ;  do  you  go  and  call  father,  for  I  would 
speak  to  him  of  many  things." 

So  the  sister  cleared  away  the  food  and  ran  to 
summon  the  father.  Soon  she  returned  with  the 
old  man,  who,  sighing,  "Ha  hua  /  "  from  the  effort 
of  climbing,  greeted  his  son  and  sat  down,  looking 
all  about  the  room  for  the  fresh  deer-meat ;  but, 
seeing  none,  he  asked  :  "  What  and  wherefore  hast 
thou  summoned  me,  my  son  ?  " 

"  It  is  this,"  replied  the  son,  and  he  related  all 
that  had  been  told  him  by  the  Deer-being,  describ 
ing  the  magnificent  dress,  the  turquoise  and  shell 
ear-rings,  necklaces,  and  wristlets  of  the  handsome 
stranger. 

"  Certainly,"  replied  the  father.  "  It  is  well ;  for 
as  the  Sun-father  hath  directed  the  Deer-being, 
thus  must  it  be  done." 


156  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

Then  he  forthwith  went  away  and  commanded 
his  Priest  of  the  Bow,  who,  mounting  to  the  top 
most  house,  directed  the  elders  and  priests  of  the 
tribe,  saying : 

"  Ye,  our  children,  listen  ! 
Ye  I  will  this  day  inform, 
Our  child,  our  father, 
He  of  the  strong  hand, 
He  who  so  hunts  the  Deer, 
Goes  unto  the  Sunset  world, 
Goes,  our  Sun-father  to  greet ; 
Gather  at  the  sacred  houses, 
Bring  thy  prayer-sticks,  twines,  and  feathers, 
And  prepare  for  him, — 
For  the  Sun-father, 
For  the  Moon-mother, 
For  the  Great  Ocean, 

For  the  Prey-beings,  plumes  and  treasures. 
Hasten,  hasten,  ye  our  children,  in  the  morning  ! " 

So  the  people  gathered  in  the  kiwetsiwe  and 
sacred  houses  next  morning  and  began  to  make 
prayer-plumes,  while  the  sister  of  the  young  man 
and  her  relatives  made  sweet  parched  cornmeal  and 
gathered  pollen.  Toward  evening  all  was  com 
pleted.  The  young  man  summoned  his  relatives, 
and  chose  his  four  uncles  to  accompany  him.  Then 
he  spread  enough  cotton-wool  out  to  cover  the 
floor,  and,  gathering  it  up,  made  it  into  a  small 
bundle.  The  sweet  meal  filled  a  large  sack  of 
buckskin,  and  he  took  also  a  little  sack  of  sacred  red 
paint  and  the  black  warrior  paint  with  little  shining 
particles  in  it.  Then  he  bade  farewell  to  his  la 
menting  people  and  rested  for  the  evening  journey. 


The  Boy  Hunter  157 

Next  morning,  escorted  by  priests,  the  young 
man,  arrayed  in  garments  of  embroidered  white 
cotton  and  carrying  his  plumes  in  his  arms,  started 
out  of  the  town,  and,  accompanied  only  by  his  four 
uncles,  set  out  over  the  mountains.  On  the  third 
day  they  reached  the  forest  on  the  bank  of  the 
great  river  and  encamped. 

Then  the  young  man  left  the  camp  of  his  uncles 
and  went  alone  into  the  forest,  and,  choosing  the 
greatest  tree  he  could  find,  hacked  midway  through 
it  with  his  great  flint  knife.  The  next  day  he  cut 
the  other  half  and  felled  it,  when  he  found  it  partly  \ 
hollow.  So  with  his  little  knife  he  began  to  cut  it 
as  he  had  been  directed,  and  made  the  round  door  ' 
for  it  and  the  hole  through  the  top.  With  his 
bundle  of  cotton  he  padded  it  everywhere  inside 
until  it  was  thickly  coated  and  soft,  and  he  made  a 
bed  on  the  bottom  as  thick  as  himself. 

When  all  was  ready  and  he  had  placed  his  food 
and  plumes  inside,  he  called  his  uncles  and  showed 
them  the  hollow  log.  "  In  this,"  said  he,  "  I  am 
to  journey  to  the  western  home  of  our  Sun-father. 
When  I  have  entered  and  closed  the  round  door 
tightly  and  put  the  plug  into  the  upper  hole  se 
curely,  do  ye,  never  thinking  of  me,  roll  the  log 
over  and  over  to  the  high  brink  of  the  river, 
and,  never  regarding  consequences,  push  it  into 
the  water." 

Then  it  was  that  the  uncles  all  lamented  and 
tried  to  dissuade  him  ;  but  he  persisted,  and 
they  bade  him  "  Go,"  as  forever,  "  for,"  said  they, 
"  could  one  think  of  journeying  even  to  the  end  of 


158  Zufti  Folk  Tales 

the  earth  and  across  the  waters  that  embrace  the 
world  without  perishing  ?  " 

Then,  hastily  embracing  each  of  them,  the  young 
man  entered  his  log,  and,  securely  fastening  the 
door  from  the  inside,  and  the  plug,  called  out  (they 
heard  but  faintly),  " Kesi!"  which  means  "  All  is 
ready." 

Sorrowfully  and  gently  they  rolled  the  log  over 
and  over  to  the  high  river  bank,  and,  hesitating  a 
moment,  pushed  it  off  with  anxious  eyes  and  closed 
mouths  into  the  river.  Eagerly  they  watched  it 
as  it  tumbled  end-over-end  and  down  into  the  water 
with  a  great  splash,  and  disappeared  under  the 
waves,  which  rolled  one  after  another  across  to  the 
opposite  banks  of  the  river.  But  for  a  long  time 
they  saw  nothing  of  it.  After  a  while,  far  off, 
speeding  on  toward  the  Western  Waters  of  the 
World,  they  saw  the  log  rocking  along  on  the  rush 
ing  waters  until  it  passed  out  of  sight,  and  they 
sadly  turned  toward  their  homes  under  the  Moun 
tains  of  the  South. 

When  the  log  had  ceased  rocking  and  plunging, 
the  young  man  cautiously  drew  out  the  plug,  and, 
finding  that  no  water  flowed  in,  peered  out.  A  ray 
of  sunlight  slanted  in,  and  by  that  he  knew  it  was 
not  yet  midday,  and  he  could  see  a  round  piece  of 
sky  and  clouds  through  the  hole.  By-and-by  the 
ray  of  sunlight  came  straight  down,  and  then  after 
a  while  slanted  the  other  way,  and  finally  toward 
evening  it  ceased  to  shine  in,  and  then  the  youth 
took  out  some  of  his  meal  and  ate  his  supper. 
When  after  a  while  he  could  see  the  stars,  and  later 


The  Boy  Hunter  159 

the  Hanging  Lines  [the  sword-belt  of  Orion],  he 
knew  it  was  time  to  rest,  so  he  lay  down  to  sleep. 

Thus,  day  after  day,  he  travelled  until  he  knew  he 
was  out  on  the  Great  Waters  of  the  World,  for  no 
longer  did  his  log  strike  against  anything  or  whirl 
around,  nor  could  he  see,  through  the  chink,  leaves 
of  overhanging  trees,  nor  rocks  and  banks  of  earth. 
On  the  tenth  morning,  when  he  looked  up  through 
the  hole,  he  saw  that  the  clouds  did  not  move,  and 
wondering  at  this,  kicked  at  his  log,  but  it  would 
not  move.  Then  he  peered  out  as  far  as  he  could 
and  saw  rocks  and  trees.  When  he  tried  to  rock 
his  log,  it  remained  firm,  so  he  determined  to  open 
the  door  at  the  end. 

Now,  in  reality,  his  log  had  been  cast  high  up  on 
the  shore  of  a  great  mountain  that  rose  out  of  the 
waters  ;  and  this  mountain  was  the  home  of  the 
Rattlesnakes.  A  Rattlesnake  maiden  was  roaming 
along  the  shore  just  as  the  young  man  was  about 
to  open  the  door  of  his  log.  She  espied  the  curious 
vessel,  and  said  to  herself  in  thought :  "  What  may 
this  be  ?  Ah,  yes,  and  who  ?  Ah,  yes,  the  mortal 
who  was  to  come ;  it  must  be  he  ! "  Whereupon 
she  hastened  to  the  shore  and  tapped  on  the  log. 

"  Art  thou  come  ?  "  she  asked. 

"  Aye,"  replied  the  youth.  "  Who  may  you  be, 
and  where  am  I  ?  " 

"  You  are  landed  on  the  Island  of  the  Rattle 
snakes,  and  I  am  one  of  them.  The  other  side  of 
the  mountain  here  is  where  our  village  is.  Come 
out  and  go  with  me,  for  my  old  ones  have  expected 
you  long." 


160  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

"  Is  it  dry,  surely?"  asked  the  young  man. 

"  Why,  yes  !  Here  you  are  high  above  the  waters." 

Thereupon  the  young  man  opened  from  the  in 
side  his  door,  and  peered  out.  Surely  enough, 
there  he  was  high  among  the  rocks  and  sands. 
Then  he  looked  at  the  Rattlesnake  maiden,  and 
scarcely  believed  she  was  what  she  called  herself, 
for  she  was  a  most  beautiful  young  woman,  and 
like  a  daughter  of  men.  Yet  around  her  waist — 
she  was  dressed  in  cotton  mantles — was  girt  a  rat 
tlesnake-skin  which  was  open  at  the  breast  and  on 
the  crown  of  the  head. 

"  Come  with  me,"  said  the  maiden  ;  and  she  led 
the  way  over  the  mountain  and  across  to  a  deep 
valley,  where  terrible  Serpents  writhed  and  gleamed 
in  the  sunlight  so  thickly  that  they  seemed,  with 
their  hissing  and  rattling,  like  a  dry  mat  shaken  by 
the  wind.  The  youth  drew  back  in  horror,  but  the 
maiden  said  :  "  Fear  not ;  they  wrill  neither  harm 
you  nor  frighten  you  more,  for  they  are  my  people." 
Whereupon  she  commanded  them  to  fall  back  and 
make  a  pathway  for  the  young  man  and  herself ; 
and  they  tamely  obeyed  her  commands.  Through 
the  opening  thus  made  they  passed  down  to  a 
cavern,  on  entering  which  they  found  a  great  room. 
There  were  great  numbers  of  Rattlesnake  people, 
old  and  young,  gathered  in  council,  for  they  knew 
of  the  coming  of  the  young  man.  Around  the 
walls  of  their  houses  were  many  pegs  and  racks 
with  serpent  skins  hanging  on  them — skins  like  the 
one  the  young  girl  wore  as  a  girdle.  The  elders 
arose  and  greeted  the  youth,  saying :  "  Our  child 


The  Boy  Hunter  161 

and  our  father,  comest  thou,  comest  thou  happily 
these  many  days  ?  " 

"  Aye,  happily,"  replied  the  youth. 

And  after  a  feast  of  strange  food  had  been 
placed  before  the  young  man,  and  he  had  eaten  a 
little,  the  elders  said  to  him  :  "  Knowest  thou 
whither  thou  goest,  that  the  way  is  long  and  fear 
ful,  and  to  mortals  unknown,  and  that  it  will  be 
but  to  meet  with  poverty  that  thou  journeyest 
alone  ?  Therefore  have  we  assembled  to  await 
thy  coming  and  in  order  that  thou  shouldst  jour 
ney  preciously,  we  have  decided  to  ask  thee  to 
choose  from  amongst  us  whom  thou  shalt  have  for 
a  companion." 

"  It  is  well,  my  fathers,"  said  the  young  man, 
and,  casting  his  eyes  about  the  council  to  find 
which  face  should  be  kindest  to  him,  he  chose  the 
maiden,  and  said  :  "  Let  it  be  this  one,  for  she 
found  me  and  loved  me  in  that  she  gently  and 
without  fear  brought  me  into  your  presence." 

And  the  girl  said  :  "  It  is  well,  and  I  will  go." 

Instantly  the  grave  and  dignified  elders,  the 
happy-faced  youths  and  maidens,  the  kind-eyed 
matrons,  all  reached  up  for  their  serpent  skins,  and, 
passing  them  over  their  persons, — lo  !  in  the  time 
of  the  telling  of  it,  the  whole  place  was  filled  with 
writhing  and  hissing  Serpents  and  the  din  of  their 
rattles.  In  horror  the  young  man  stood  against 
the  wall  like  a  hollow  stalk,  and  the  Serpent 
maiden,  going  to  each  of  the  members  of  the  coun 
cil,  extracted  from  each  a  single  fang,  which  she 
wrapped  together  in  a  piece  of  fabric,  until  she 


162  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

had  a  great  bundle.  Then  she  passed  her  hand 
over  her  person,  and  lo  !  she  became  a  beautiful 
human  maiden  again,  holding  in  her  hand  a  rattle 
snake  skin.  Then  taking  up  the  bundle  of  fangs,  \ 
she  said  to  the  young  man  :  "  Come,  for  I  know  the 
way  and  will  guide  you," — and  the  young  man  fol 
lowed  her  to  the  shore  where  his  log  lay. 

"  Now,"  said  she,  "  wait  while  I  fix  this  log  anew, 
that  it  may  be  well,"  and  she  bored  many  little 
holes  all  over  the  log,  and  into  these  holes  she  in 
serted  the  crooked  fangs,  so  that  they  all  stood 
slanting  toward  the  rear,  like  the  spines  on  the 
back  of  a  porcupine. 

When  she  had  done  this,  she  said  :  "  First  I  will 
enter,  for  there  may  not  be  room  for  two,  and  in 
order  that  I  may  make  myself  like  the  space  I  en 
ter,  I  will  lay  on  my  dress  again.  Do  you,  when  I 
have  entered,  enter  also,  and  with  your  feet  kick 
the  log  down  to  the  shore  waters,  when  you  must 
quickly  close  the  door  and  the  waters  will  take  us 
abroad  upon  themselves." 

In  an  instant  she  had  passed  into  her  serpent 
form  again  and  crawled  into  the  log.  The  young 
man  did  as  he  was  bidden,  and  as  he  closed  the 
door  a  wave  bore  them  gently  out  upon  the  waters. 
Then,  as  the  young  man  turned  to  look  upon  his  com 
panion  coiled  so  near  him,  he  drew  back  in  horror. 

"  Why  do  you  fear  ?"  asked  the  Rattlesnake. 

"  I  know  not,  but  I  fear  you  ;  perhaps,  though 
you  speak  gently,  you  will,  when  I  sleep,  bite  me 
and  devour  my  flesh,  and  it  is  with  thoughts  of  this 
that  I  have  fear." 


The  Boy  Hunter  163 

"  Ah,  no  ! "  replied  the  maiden,  "  but,  that  you 
may  not  fear,  I  will  change  myself."  And  so  say 
ing,  she  took  off  her  skin,  and,  opening  the  upper 
part  of  the  door,  hung  the  skin  on  the  fangs  out 
side. 

Finally,  toward  noon-time,  the  youth  prepared 
his  meal  food,  and  placing  some  before  the  maiden, 
asked  her  to  eat. 

"  Ah,  no  !  alas,  I  know  not  the  food  of  mortals. 
Have  you  not  with  you  the  yellow  dust  of  the 
corn-flower  ? " 

"  Aye,  that  I  have,"  said  the  young  man,  and 
producing  a  bag,  opened  it  and  asked  the  girl  : 
"  How  shall  I  feed  it  to  you  ?  " 

"  Scatter  it  upon  the  cotton,  and  by  my  knowl 
edge  I  will  gather  it." 

Then  the  young  man  scattered  a  great  quantity 
on  the  cotton,  wondering  how  the  girl  would  gather 
it  up.  But  the  maiden  opened  the  door,  and  taking 
down  the  skin  changed  herself  to  a  serpent,  and 
passing  to  and  fro  over  the  pollen,  received  it  all 
within  her  scales.  Then  she  resumed  her  human 
form  again  and  hung  the  skin  up  as  before. 

Thus  they  floated  until  they  came  to  the  great 
forks  of  the  Mighty  Waters  of  the  World,  and 
their  floating  log  was  guided  into  the  southern 
branch.  And  on  they  floated  toward  the  westward 
for  four  months  from  the  time  when  the  uncles  had 
thrown  him  into  the  river. 

One  day  the  maiden  said  to  the  youth  :  "  We 
are  nearing  our  journey's  end,  and,  as  I  know  the 
way,  I  will  guide  you.  Hold  yourself  hard  and. 


1 64  Zufti  Folk  Tales 

ready,  for  the  waters  will  cast  our  house  high  upon 
the  shores  of  the  mountain  wherein  the  Sun  enters, 
and  these  shores  are  inaccessible  because  so 
smooth." 

Then  the  log  was  cast  high  above  the  slippery 
bank,  and  when  the  waters  receded  there  it  re 
mained,  for  the  fangs  grappled  it  fast. 

Then  said  the  maiden  :  "  Let  us  now  go  out. 
Fear  not  for  your  craft,  for  the  fangs  will  hold  it 
fast ;  it  matters  little  how  high  the  waves  may  roll, 
or  how  steep  and  slippery  the  bank." 

Then,  taking  in  his  arms  the  sacred  plumes 
which  his  people  had  prepared  for  him,  he  followed 
the  girl  far  up  to  the  doorway  in  the  Mountain  of 
the  Sea.  Out  of  it  grew  a  great  ladder  of  giant 
rushes,  by  the  side  of  which  stood  an  enormous 
basket-tray.  Very  fast  approached  the  Sun,  and 
soon  the  Sun-father  descended  the  ladder,  and 
the  two  voyagers  followed  down.  They  were 
gently  greeted  by  a  kind  old  woman,  the  grand 
mother  of  the  Sun,  and  were  given  seats  at  one 
side  of  a  great  and  wonderfully  beautiful  room. 

Then  the  Sun-father  approached  some  pegs  in 
the  wall  and  from  them  suspended  his  bow  and 
quiver,  and  his  bright  sun-shield,  and  his  wonderful 
travelling  dress.  Behold  !  there  stood,  kindly  smil 
ing  before  the  youth  and  maiden,  the  most  mag 
nificent  and  gentle  of  beings  in  the  world — the 
Sun-father. 

Then  the  Sun-father  greeted  them,  and,  turning 
to  a  great  package  which  he  had  brought  in,  opened 
it  and  disclosed  thousands  of  shell  beads,  red  and 


The  Boy  Hunter  165 

white,  and  thousands  more  of  brilliant  turquoises. 
These  he  poured  into  the  great  tray  at  the  door- 
side,  and  gave  them  to  the  grandmother,  who 
forthwith  began  to  sort  them  with  great  rapidity. 
But,  ere  she  had  done,  the  Sun-father  took  them 
from  her ;  part  of  them  he  took  out  with  unerring- 
judgment  and  cast  them  abroad  into  the  great 
waters  as  we  cast  sacred  prayer-meal.  The  others 
he  brought  below  and  gave  them  to  the  grand 
mother  for  safe-keeping. 

Then  he  turned  once  more  to  the  youth  and 
the  maiden,  and  said  to  the  former  :  "  So  thou  hast 
come,  my  child,  even  as  I  commanded.  It  is  well, 
and  I  am  thankful."  Then,  in  a  stern  and  louder 
voice,  which  yet  sounded  like  the  voice  of  a  father, 
he  asked :  "  Hast  thou  brought  with  thee  that 
whereby  we  are  made  happy  with  our  children  ?  " 
And  the  young  man  said  :  "  Aye,  I  have." 
"  It  is  well ;  and  if  it  be  well,  then  shalt  thou 
precious  be  ;  for  knowest  thou  not  that  I  recognize 
the  really  good  from  the  evil, — even  of  the  thoughts 
of  men, — :and  that  I  know  the  prayer  and  sacrifice 
that  is  meant,  from  the  words  and  treasures  of 
those  who  do  but  lie  in  addressing  them  to  me, 
and  speak  and  act  as  children  in  a  joke  ?  Behold 
the  treasure  which  I  brought  with  me  from  the 
cities  of  mankind  today  !  Some  of  them  I  cherished 
preciously,  for  they  are  the  gifts  to  me  of  good  hearts 
and  I  treasure  them  that  I  may  return  them  in 
good  fortune  and  blessing  to  those  who  gave  them. 
But  some  thou  sawest  I  cast  abroad  into  the  great 
waters  that  they  may  again  be  gathered  up  and 


1 66  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

presented  to  me ;  for  they  were  the  gifts  of  double 
and  foolish  hearts,  and  as  such  cannot  be  treasured 
by  me  nor  returned  unto  those  who  gave  them. 
Bring  forth,  my  child,  the  plumes  and  gifts  thou 
hast  brought.  Thy  mother  dwelleth  in  the  next 
room,  and  when  she  appeareth  in  this,  thou  shalt 
with  thine  own  hand  present  to  her  thy  sacrifice." 

So  the  youth,  bowing  his  head,  unwrapped  his 
bundle  and  laid  before  the  Sun-father  the  plumes 
he  had  brought.  And  the  Sun-father  took  them 
and  breathed  upon  them  and  upon  the  youth,  and 
said:  "Thanks,  this  day.  Thou  hast  straightened 
thy  crooked  thoughts." 

And  when  the  beautiful  Mother  of  Men,  the 
Moon-mother  —  the  wife  of  the  Sun-father  — 
appeared,  the  boy  placed  before  her  the  plumes  he 
had  brought,  and  she,  too,  breathed  upon  them,  and 
said  :  "  Thanks,  this  day,"  even  as  the  Sun-father  had. 

Then  the  Sun-father  turned  to  the  youth  and 
said  :  "  Thou  shalt  join  me  in  my  journey  round 
the  world,  that  thou  mayest  see  the  towns  and  na 
tions  of  mankind — my  children  ;  that  thou  mayest 
realize  how  many  are  my  children.  Four  days 
shalt  thou  join  me  in  my  journeyings,  and  then 
shalt  thou  return  to  the  home  of  thy  fathers." 

And  the  young  man  said:  "  It  is  well  !"  but  he 
turned  his  eyes  to  the  maiden. 

"Fear  not,  my  child,"  added  the  Father,  "she 
shall  sit  preciously  in  my  house  until  we  have 
returned." 

And  after  they  had  feasted,  the  Sun-father 
again  enrobed  himself,  and  the  youth  he  dressed 


The  Boy  Hunter  167 

in  appearance  as  he  himself  was  dressed.  Then, 
taking  the  sun-dress  from  the  wall,  he  led  the  way 
down  through  the  four  great  apartments  of  the 
world,  and  came  out  into  the  Lower  Country  of 
the  Earth. 

Behold !  as  they  entered  that  great  world,  it  was 
filled  with  snow  and  cold  below,  and  the  tracks  of 
men  led  out  over  great  white  plains,  and  as  they 
passed  the  cities  of  these  nether  countries  people 
strange  to  see  were  clearing  away  the  snow  from 
their  housetops  and  doorways. 

And  so  they  journeyed  to  the  other  House  of 
the  Sun,  and,  passing  up  through  the  four  great 
rooms,  entered  the  home  of  the  aunts  of  the  Sun- 
father  ;  and  here,  too,  the  young  man  presented 
plumes  of  prayer  and  sacrifice  to  the  inmates,  and 
received  their  thanks  and  blessings. 

Again  they  started  together  on  their  journey ; 
and  behold  !  as  they  came  out  into  the  World  of 
Daylight,  the  skies  below  them  were  filled  with 
the  rain  of  summer-time. 

Across  the  great  world  they  journeyed,  and  they 
saw  city  after  city  of  men,  and  many  tribes  of 
strange  peoples.  Here  they  were  engaged  in  wars 
and  in  wasting  the  lives  of  one  another  ;  there  they 
were  dying  of  famine  and  disease  ;  and  more  of 
misery  and  poverty  than  of  happiness  saw  the 
young  man  among  the  nations  of  men.  "  For," 
said  the  Sun-father,  "  these  be,  alas  !  my  children, 
who  waste  their  lives  in  foolishness,  or  slay  one 
another  in  useless  anger ;  yet  they  are  brothers  to 
one  another,  and  I  am  the  father  of  all." 


1 68  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

Thus  journeyed  they  four  days  ;  and  each  eve 
ning  when  they  returned  to  the  home  where  the 
Sun-father  enters,  he  gave  to  his  grandmother 
the  great  package  of  treasure  which  his  children 
among  men  had  sacrificed  to  him,  and  each  day  he 
cast  the  treasures  of  the  bad  and  double-hearted 
into  the  great  waters. 

On  the  fourth  day,  when  they  had  entered  the 
western  home  of  the  Sun-father,  said  the  latter  to 
the  youth  :  "  Thy  task  is  meted  out  and  finished  ; 
thou  shalt  now  return  unto  the  home  of  thy  fathers 
—my  children  below  the  mountains  of  Shiwina. 
How  many  days,  thinkest  thou,  shalt  thou  journey  ?  " 

"  Many  days  more  than  ten,"  replied  the  youth 
with  a  sigh. 

"Ah!  no,  my  child,"  said  the  Sun-father. 
"  Listen  ;  thou  shalt  in  one  day  reach  the  banks  of 
the  river  whence  thou  earnest.  Listen  !  Thou  shalt 
take  this,  my  shaft  of  strong  lightning  ;  thou  shalt 
grasp  its  neck  with  firm  hands,  and  as  thou  ex- 
tendest  it,  it  will  stretch  out  far  to  thy  front  and 
draw  thee  more  swiftly  than  the  arrow's  flight 
through  the  water.  Take  with  thee  this  quiver  of 
unerring  arrows,  and  this  strong  bow,  that  by  their 
will  thou  mayest  seek  life  ;  but  forget  not  thy  sacri 
fices  nor  that  they  are  to  be  made  with  true  word 
and  a  faithful  heart.  Take  also  with  thee  thy 
guide  and  companion,  the  Rattlesnake  maiden. 
When  thou  hast  arrived  at  the  shore  of  the  country 
of  her  people,  let  go  the  lightning,  and  it  will  land 
thee  high.  On  the  morrow  I  will  journey  slowly, 
that  ere  I  be  done  rising  thou  mayest  reach  the 


The  Boy  Hunter  169 

home  of  the  maiden.  There  thou  must  stop  but 
briefly,  for  thy  fathers,  the  Rattle-tailed  Serpents, 
will  instruct  thee,  and  to  their  counsel  thou  must 
pay  strict  heed,  for  thus  only  will  it  be  well.  Thou 
shalt  present  to  them  the  plumes  of  the  Prey-be 
ings  thou  bringest,  and  when  thou  hast  presented 
these,  thou  must  continue  thy  journey.  Rest  thou 
until  the  morrow,  and  early  as  the  light  speed 
hence  toward  the  home  of  thy  fathers.  May  all 
days  find  ye,  children,  happy."  With  this,  the  Sun- 
father,  scarce  listening  to  the  prayers  and  thanks 
of  the  youth  and  maiden,  vanished  below. 

Thus,  when  morning  approached,  the  youth  and 
the  maiden  entered  the  hollow  house  and  closed  it. 
Scarce  did  the  youth  grasp  the  lightning  when, 
drawn  by  the  bright  shaft,  the  log  shot  far  out  into 
the  great  waters  and  wras  skimming,  too  fast  to  be 
seen,  toward  the  home  of  the  Rattle-tailed  Serpents. 

And  the  Sun  had  but  just  climbed  above  the 
mountains  of  this  world  of  daylight  when  the  little 
tube  was  thrown  high  above  the  banks  of  the  great 
island  whither  they  were  journeying. 

Then  the  youth  and  the  maiden  again  entered  the 
council  of  the  Rattlesnakes,  and  when  they  saw 
the  shining  black  paint  on  his  face  they  asked  that 
they  too  might  paint  their  faces  like  his  own  ;  but 
they  painted  their  cheeks  awkwardly,  as  to  this  day 
may  be  seen  ;  for  all  rattlesnakes  are  painted  un 
evenly  in  the  face.  Then  the  young  man  presented 
to  each  the  plumes  he  had  brought,  and  told  the 
elders  that  he  would  return  with  their  maiden  to 
the  home  of  his  father. 


1 70  Zufii  Folk  Tales 

"  Be  it  well,  that  it  may  be  well,"  they  replied; 
and  they  thanked  him  with  delight  for  the  treasure- 
plumes  he  had  bestowed  upon  them. 

"  Go  ye  happily  all  days,"  said  the  elders. 
"  Listen,  child,  and  father,  to  our  words  of  advice. 
But  a  little  while,  and  thou  wilt  reach  the  bank 
whence  thou  started.  Let  go  the  shaft  of  light 
ning,  and,  behold,  the  tube  thou  hast  journeyed 
with  will  plunge  far  down  into  the  river.  Then 
shalt  thou  journey  with  this  our  maiden  three 
days.  Care  not  to  embrace  her,  for  if  thou  doest 
this,  it  will  not  be  well.  Journey  ye  preciously, 
our  children,  and  may  ye  be  happy  one  with  the 
other." 

So  again  they  entered  their  hollow  log,  and,  be 
fore  entering,  the  maiden  placed  her  rattlesnake 
skin  as  before  on  the  fangs.  With  incredible  swift 
ness  the  lightning  drew  them  up  the  great  surging 
river  to  the  banks  where  the  cottonwood  forests 
grow,  and  when  the  lad  pressed  the  shaft  it  landed 
them  high  among  the  forest  trees  above  the  steep 
bank.  Then  the  youth  pressed  the  lightning-shaft 
with  all  his  might,  and  the  log  was  dashed  into  the 
great  river.  While  yet  he  gazed  at  the  bounding 
log,  behold  !  the  fangs  which  the  maiden  had  fixed 
into  it  turned  to  living  serpents ;  hence  today, 
throughout  the  whole  great  world,  from  the  Land 
of  Summer  to  the  Waters  of  Sunset,  are  found  the 
Rattlesnakes  and  their  children. 

Then  the  young  man  journeyed  with  the  maiden 
southward ;  and  on  the  way,  with  the  bow  and  ar 
rows  the  Sun-father  had  given  him,  he  killed  game, 


The  Boy  Hunter  171 

that  they  might  have  meat  to  eat.  Nor  did  he 
forget  the  commandments  of  his  Sun-father.  At 
night  he  built  a  fire  in  a  forest  of  pifions,  and  made 
a  bower  for  the  maiden  near  to  it ;  but  she  could 
not  sit  there,  for  she  feared  the  fire,  and  its  light 
pained  her  eyes.  Nor  could  she  eat  at  first  of  the 
food  he  cooked  for  her,  but  only  tasted  a  few 
mouthfuls  of  it.  Then  the  young  man  made  a  bed 
for  her  under  the  trees,  and  told  her  to  rest  peace 
fully,  for  he  would  guard  her  through  the  night. 

And  thus  they  journeyed  and  rested  until  the 
fourth  day,  when  at  evening  they  entered  the  town 
under  the  mountains  of  Shiwina  and  were  happily 
welcomed  by  the  father,  sister,  and  relatives  of  the 
young  man.  Blessed  by  the  old  priest-chief,  the 
youth  and  the  maiden  dwelt  with  the  younger  sister 
Waiasialuhtitsa,  in  the  high  house  of  the  upper 
part  of  the  town.  And  the  boy  was  as  before 
a  mighty  hunter,  and  the  maiden  at  last  grew  used 
to  the  food  and  ways  of  mortals. 

After  they  had  thus  lived  together  for  a  long 
time,  there  were  born  of  the  maiden  two  children, 
twins. 

Wonderful  to  relate,  these  children  grew  to  the 
power  of  wandering,  in  a  single  day  and  night ;  and 
hence,  when  they  appeared  suddenly  on  the 
housetops  and  in  the  plazas,  people  said  to  one 
another : 

"  Who  are  these  strange  people,  and  whence 
came  they  ?  " — and  talked  much  after  the  manner 
of  our  foolish  people.  And  the  other  little  children 
in  the  town  beat  them  and  quarrelled  with  them, 


Zuni  Folk  Tales 

as  strange  children  are  apt  to  do  with  strange 
children.  And  when  the  twins  ran  in  to  their 
mother,  crying  and  complaining,  the  poor  young 
woman  was  saddened  ;  so  she  said  to  the 
father  when  he  returned  from  hunting  in  the 
evening  : 

"  Ah  !  *  their  father/  it  is  not  well  that  we 
remain  longer  here.  No,  alas  !  I  must  return  to 
the  country  of  my  fathers,  and  take  with  me  these 
little  ones,"  and,  although  the  father  prayed  her 
not,  she  said  only  :  "  It  must  be,"  and  he  was 
forced  to  consent. 

Then  for  four  days  the  Rattlesnake  woman 
instructed  him  in  the  prayers  and  chants  of  her 
people,  and  she  took  him  forth  and  showed  him 
the  medicines  whereby  the  bite  of  her  fathers 
might  be  assuaged,  and  how  to  prepare  them. 
Again  and  again  the  young  man  urged  her  not 
to  leave  him,  saying  :  "  The  way  is  long  and  filled 
with  dangers.  How,  alas !  will  you  reach  it  in 
safety  ?  " 

"  Fear  not,"  said  she  ;  "  go  with  me  only  to  the 
shore  of  the  great  river,  and  my  fathers  will  come 
to  meet  me  and  take  me  home." 

Sadly,  on  the  last  morning,  the  father  accom 
panied  his  wife  and  children  to  the  forests  of  the 
great  river.  There  she  said  he  must  not  follow  ; 
but  as  he  embraced  them  he  cried  out  : 

"  Ah,  alas  !  my  beautiful  wife,  my  beloved  chil 
dren,  flesh  of  my  flesh,  how  shall  I  not  follow  ye  ?  " 

Then  his  wife  answered  :  "  Fear  not,  nor  trouble 
thyself  with  sad  thoughts.  Whither  we  go  thou 


The  Boy  Hunter  173 

canst  not  follow,  for  thou  eatest  cooked  food— 
(thou  art  a  mortal)  ;  but  soon  thy  fathers  and  mine 
will  come  for  thee,  and  thou  wilt  follow  us,  never 
to  return."  Then  she  turned  from  him  with  the 
little  children  and  was  seen  no  more,  and  the  young 
man  silently  returned  to  his  home  below  the  moun 
tains  of  Shiwina. 

It  happened  here  and  there  in  time  that  young 
men  of  his  tribe  were  bitten  by  rattlesnakes  ;  but 
the  young  man  had  only  to  suck  their  wounds,  and 
apply  his  medicines,  and  sing  his  incantations 
and  prayers,  to  cure  them.  Whenever  this  hap 
pened,  he  breathed  the  sacred  breath  upon  them, 
and  enjoined  them  to  secrecy  of  the  rituals  and 
chants  he  taught  them,  save  only  to  such  as  they 
should  choose  and  teach  the  practice  of  their 
prayers. 

Thus  he  had  cured  and  taught  eight,  when  one 
day  he  ascended  the  mountains  for  wood.  There, 
alone  in  the  forest,  he  was  met  and  bitten  by  his 
fathers.  Although  he  slowly  and  painfully  crawled 
home,  lorig  ere  he  reached  his  town  he  was  so 
swollen  that  the  eight  whom  he  had  instructed 
tried  in  vain  to  cure  him,  and,  bidding  them  cherish 
as  a  precious  gift  the  knowledge  of  his  beloved 
wife,  he  died. 

Immediately  his  fathers  met  his  breath  and  being 
and  took  them  to  the  home  of  the  Maiden  of  the 
Rattlesnakes  and  of  his  lost  children.  Need  we 
ask  why  he  was  not  cured  by  his  disciples  ? 

Thus  it  was  in  the  days  of  the  ancients,  and 
hence  today  we  have  fathers  amongst  us  to  whom 


174 


Zufii  Folk  Tales 


the  dread  bite  of  the  rattlesnake  need  cause  no 
sad  thoughts, — the  Tchi  Kialikwe  (Society  of  the 
Rattlesnakes). 

Thus  much  and  thus  shortened  is  my  story. 


HOW    AHAIYtiTA    AND    MATSAIL&MA 

STOLE  THE  THUNDER-STONE  AND 

THE   LIGHTNING-SHAFT 

A  HAIYUTA  and  Matsailema,  with  their  grand- 
**  mother,  lived  where  now  stands  the  ancient 
Middle  Place  of  Sacrifice  on  Thunder  Mountain. 

One  day  they  went  out  hunting  prairie-dogs,  and 
while  they  were  running  about  from  one  prairie-dog 
village  to  another,  it  began  to  rain,  which  made  the 
trail  slippery  and  the  ground  muddy,  so  that  the 
boys  became  a  little  wrathful.  Then  they  sat 
down  and  cursed  the  rain  for  a  brief  space.  Off  in 
the  south  it  thundered  until  the  earth  trembled,  and 
the  lightning-shafts  flew  about  the  red-bordered 
clouds  until  the  two  brothers  were  nearly  blinded 
with  the  beholding  of  it.  Presently  the  younger 
brother  smoothed  his  brow,  and  jumped  up  with  an 
exclamation  somewhat  profane,  and  cried  out  : 
"  Elder  brother,  let  us  go  to  the  Land  of  Ever 
lasting  Summer  and  steal  from  the  gods  in  council 
their  thunder  and  lightning.  I  think  it  would  be 
fine  fun  to  do  that  sort  of  thing  we  have  just  been 
looking  at  and  listening  to." 

The  elder  brother  was  somewhat  more  cautious  ; 
still,  on  the  whole,  he  liked  the  idea.  So  he  said  : 
"  Let  us  take  our  prairie-dogs  home  to  the  grand 
mother,  that  she  shall  have  something  to  eat  mean 
while,  and  we  will  think  about  going  tomorrow 
morning." 

175 


1 76  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

The  next  morning,  bright  and  early,  they  started 
out.  In  vain  the  old  grandmother  called  rather 
crossly  after  them  :  "  Where  are  you  going  now  ?  " 
She  could  get  no  satisfaction,  for  she  knew  they 
lied  when  they  called  back  :  "  Oh,  we  are  only 
going  to  hunt  more  prairie-dogs."  It  is  true  that 
they  skulked  round  in  the  plains  about  Thunder 
Mountain  a  little  while,  as  if  looking  for  prairie- 
dogs.  Then,  picking  up  their  wondrously  swift 
heels,  they  sped  away  toward  that  beautiful  coun 
try  of  the  corals,  the  Land  of  Everlasting  Summer. 

At  last, — it  may  be  in  the  mountains  of  that 
country,  which  are  said  to  glow  like  shells  of  the 
sea  or  the  clouds  of  the  sunset, — they  came  to  the 
House  of  the  Beloved  Gods  themselves.  And  that 
red  house  was  a  wondrous  terrace,  rising  wall  after 
wall,  and  step  after  step,  like  a  high  mountain, 
grand  and  stately  ;  and  the  walls  were  so  smooth 
and  high  that  the  skill  and  power  of  the  little 
War-gods  availed  them  nothing  ;  they  could  not 
get  in. 

"  What  shall  we  do  ?  "  asked  the  younger  brother. 

"  Go  home,"  said  the  elder,  "  and  mind  our  own 
affairs." 

"  Oh,  no,"  urged  the  younger  ;  "  I  have  it,  elder 
brother.  Let  us  hunt  up  our  grandfather,  the 
Centipede." 

"  Good  !  "  replied  the  elder.  "  A  happy  thought 
is  that  of  yours,  my  brother  younger." 

Forthwith  they  laid  down  their  bows  and  quiv 
ers  of  mountain-lion  skin,  their  shields,  and  other 
things,  and  set  about  turning  over  all  the  flat  stones 


Ahaiyuta  and  Matsailema  17? 

they  could  find.  Presently,  lifting  one  with  their 
united  strength,  they  found  under  it  the  very  old 
fellow  they  sought.  He  doubled  himself,  and  cov 
ered  his  eyes  from  the  sharpness  of  the  daylight. 
He  did  not  much  like  being  thus  disturbed,  even 
by  his  grandchildren,  the  War-gods,  in  the  middle 
of  his  noonday  nap,  and  was  by  no  means  polite 
to  them.  But  they  prodded  him  a  little  in  the 
side,  and  said  :  "  Now,  grandfather,  look  here ! 
We  are  in  difficulty,  and  there  is  no  one  in  the 
wide  world  who  can  help  us  out  as  you  will." 

The  old  Centipede  was  naturally  flattered.  He 
unrolled  himself  and  viewed  them  with  a  look 
which  he  intended  to  be  extremely  reproachful  and 
belittling.  "  Ah,  my  grandchildren,"  said  he,  "what 
are  you  up  to  now  ?  Are  you  trying  to  get  your 
selves  into  trouble,  as  usual  ?  No  doubt  of  it  !  I 
will  help  you  all  I  can  ;  but  the  consequences  be  on 
your  own  heads  !  " 

"  That's  right,  grandfather,  that's  right!  No 
one  in  the  world  could  help  us  as  you  can,"  said 
one  of  them.  "  The  fact  is,  we  want  to  get  hold 
of  the  thunder-stone  and  the  lightning-shaft  which 
the  Rain-gods  up  there  in  the  tremendous  house 
keep  and  guard  so  carefully,  we  understand.  Now, 
in  the  first  place,  we  cannot  get  up  the  wall ;  in  the 
second  place,  if  we  did,  we  would  probably  have  a 
fuss  with  them  in  trying  to  steal  these  things. 
Therefore,  we  want  you  to  help  us,  if  you  will." 

"  With  all  my  heart,  my  boys  !  But  I  should 
advise  you  to  run  along  home  to  your  grand 
mother,  and  let  these  things  alone." 


1 78  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

"  Oh,  pshaw,  nonsense  !  We  are  only  going  to 
play  a  little  while  with  the  thunder  and  lightning." 

"All  right,"  replied  the  old  Worm;  "sit  here 
and  wait  for  me."  He  wriggled  himself  and 
stirred  about,  and  his  countless  legs  were  more 
countless  than  ever  with  rapid  motions  as  he  ran 
toward  the  walls  of  that  stately  terrace.  A  vine 
could  not  have  run  up  more  closely,  nor  a  bird 
more  rapidly ;  for  if  one  foot  slipped,  another  held 
on ;  so  the  old  Centipede  wriggled  himself  up  the 
sides  and  over  the  roof,  down  into  the  great  sky- 
hole  ;  and,  scorning  the  ladder,  which  he  feared 
might  creak,  he  went  along,  head-downward,  on 
the  ceiling  to  the  end  of  the  room  over  the  altar, 
ran  down  the  side,  and  approached  that  most  for 
bidden  of  places,  the  altar  of  the  gods  themselves. 
The  beloved  gods,  in  silent  majesty,  were  sitting 
there  with  their  heads  bowed  in  meditation  so 
deep  that  they  heard  not  the  faint  scuffle  of  the 
Centipede's  feet  as  he  wound  himself  down  into 
the  altar  and  stole  the  thunder-stone.  He  took 
it  in  his  mouth — which  was  larger  than  the  mouths 
of  Centipedes  are  now — and  carried  it  silently, 
weighty  as  it  was,  up  the  way  he  had  come,  over 
the  roof,  down  the  wall,  and  back  to  the  flat  stone 
where  he  made  his  home,  and  where,  hardly  able 
to  contain  themselves  with  impatience,  the  two 
youthful  gods  were  awaiting  him. 

"Here  he  comes!"  cried  the  younger  brother, 
"  and  he 's  got  it !  By  my  war-bonnet,  he  's  got  it ! '' 

The  old  grandfather  threw  the  stone  down.  It 
began  to  sound,  but  Ahaiyiita  grabbed  it,  and, 


Ahaiyiita  and  Matsailema  1 79 

as  it  were,  throttled  its  world-stirring  speech. 
44  Good !  good  ! "  he  cried  to  the  grandfather ; 
44  thank  you,  old  grandfather,  thank  you  ! " 

"  Hold  on!"  cried  the  younger  brother;  44you 
did  n't  bring  both.  What  can  we  do  with  the  one 
without  the  other  ?  " 

<4  Shut  up  !  "  cried  the  old  Worm.  44 1  know 
what  I  am  about ! "  And  before  they  could  say 
any  more  he  was  off  again.  Ere  long  he  returned, 
carrying  the  shaft  of  lightning,  with  its  blue,  shim 
mering  point,  in  his  mouth. 

"  Good  ! "  cried  the  War-gods.  And  the  younger 
brother  caught  up  the  lightning,  and  almost  forgot 
his  weapons,  which,  however,  he  did  stop  to  take 
up,  and  started  on  a  full  run  for  Thunder  Moun 
tain,  followed  by  his  more  deliberate,  but  equally 
interested  elder  brother,  who  brought  along  the 
thunder-stone,  which  he  found  a  somewhat  heavier 
burden  than  he  had  supposed. 

It  was  not  long,  you  may  well  imagine,  so  pow 
erful  were  these  Gods  of  War,  ere  they  reached 
the  home  of  their  grandmother  on  the  top  of 
Thunder  Mountain.  They  had  carefully  concealed 
the  thunder-stone  and  the  shaft  of  lightning  mean 
while,  and  had  taken  care  to  provide  themselves 
with  a  few  prairie-dogs  by  way  of  deception. 

Still,  in  majestic  revery,  unmoved,  and  appa 
rently  unwitting  of  what  had  taken  place,  sat  the 
Rain-gods  in  their  home  in  the  mountains  of 
Summerland. 

Not  long  after  they  arrived,  the  young  gods 
began  to  grow  curious  and  anxious  to  try  their 


i8o  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

new  playthings.  They  poked  one  another  con 
siderably,  and  whispered  a  great  deal,  so  that  their 
grandmother  began  to  suspect  they  were  about 
to  play  some  rash  joke  or  other,  and  presently 
she  espied  the  point  of  lightning  gleaming  under 
Matsailema's  dirty  jacket. 

"  Demons  and  corpses  !  "  she  cried.  "  By  the 
moon  !  You  have  stolen  the  thunder-stone  and 
lightning-shaft  from  the  Gods  of  Rain  themselves  ! 
Go  this  instant  and  return  them,  and  never  do 
such  a  thing  again  ! "  she  cried,  with  the  utmost 
severity  ;  and,  making  a  quick  step  for  the  fire 
place,  she  picked  up  a  poker  with  which  to  belabor 
their  backs,  when  they  whisked  out  of  the  room 
and  into  another.  They  slammed  the  door  in 
their  grandmother's  face  and  braced  it,  and,  clear 
ing  away  a  lot  of  rubbish  that  was  lying  around 
the  rear  room,  they  established  themselves  in  one 
end,  and,  nodding  and  winking  at  one  another, 
cried  out :  "  Now,  then  !  "  The  younger  let  go  the 
lightning-shaft ;  the  elder  rolled  the  thunder-stone. 
The  lightning  hissed  through  the  air,  and  far  out 
into  the  sky,  and  returned.  The  thunder-stone 
rolled  and  rumbled  until  it  shook  the  foundations 
of  the  mountain.  "  Glorious  fun  !  "  cried  the  boys, 
rubbing  their  thighs  in  ecstasy  of  delight.  "  Do 
it  again  ! "  And  again  they  sent  forth  the  light 
ning  and  rolled  the  thunder-stone. 

And  now  the  gods  in  Summerland  arose  in  their 
majesty  and  breathed  upon  the  skies  ;  and  the 
winds  rose,  and  the  rains  fell  like  rivers  from  the 
clouds,  centering  their  violence  upon  the  roof  of 


Ahaiyiita  and  Matsaiiema  181 

the  poor  old  grandmother's  house.  Heedlessly 
those  reckless  wretches  kept  on  playing  the  thunder- 
stone  and  lightning-shaft  without  the  slightest 
regard  to  the  tremendous  commotion  they  were 
raising  all  through  the  skies  and  all  over  Thunder 
Mountain  ;  but  nowhere  else  as  above  the  house 
where  their  poor  old  grandmother  lived  fell  the 
torrent  of  the  rain,  and  there  alone,  of  course,  burst 
the  lightning  and  rolled  the  thunder. 

Soon  the  water  poured  through  the  roof  of  the 
house  ;  but,  move  the  things  as  the  old  grandmother 
would,  she  could  not  keep  them  dry  ;  scold  the  boys 
as  she  would,  she  could  not  make  them  desist. 
No,  they  would  only  go  on  with  their  play  more 
violently  than  ever,  exclaiming:  "  What  has  she 
to  say,  anyway  ?  It  won't  hurt  her  to  get  a  good 
ducking,  and  this  is  fun  !  "  By-and-by  the  waters 
rose  so  high  that  they  extinguished  the  fire.  Soon 
they  rose  still  higher,  so  that  th$  War-gods  had 
to  paddle  around  half  submerged.  j  Still  they  kept 
rolling  the  thunder-stone  and  shooting  the  lightning. 
The  old  grandmother  scolded  harder  and  harder, 
but  after  awhile  desisted  and  climbed  to  the  top 
of  the  fireplace,  whence,  after  recovering  from  her 
exertion,  she  began  again.  But  the  boys  heeded 
her  not,  only  saying  :  "  Let  her  yell  !  Let  her  scold  ! 
This  is  fun  !  "  At  last  they  began  to  take  the  old 
grandmother's  scolding  as  a  matter  of  course,  and 
allowed  nothing  but  the  water  to  interrupt  their 
pastime.  It  rose  so  high,  finally,  that  they  were 
near  drowning.  Then  they  climbed  to  the  roof, 
but  still  they  kept  on. 


182  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

"  By  the  bones  of  the  dead  !  why  did  we  not 
think  to  come  here  before  ?  'T  is  ten  times  as  fine 
up  here.  See  him  shoot  !  "  cried  one  to  the  other, 
as  the  lightning  sped  through  the  sky,  ever  re 
turning. 

"  Hear  it  mutter  and  roll !"  cried  the  other,  as 
the  thunder  bellowed  and  grumbled. 

But  no  sooner  had  the  Two  begun  their  sport  on 
the  roof,  than  the  rain  fell  in  one  vast  sheet  all 
about  them  ;  and  it  was  not  long  ere  the  house 
was  so  full  that  the  old  grandmother — locked  in 
as  she  was — bobbed  her  poor  pate  on  the  rafters  in 
trying  to  keep  it  above  the  water.  She  gulped 
water,  and  gasped,  coughed,  strangled,  and  shrieked 
to  no  purpose. 

"  What  a  fuss  our  old  grandmother  is  making, 
to  be  sure  !  "  cried  the  boys.  And  they  kept  on, 
until,  forsooth,  the  water  had  completely  filled  the 
room,  and  the  grandmother's  cries  gurgled  away 
and  ceased.  Finally,  the  thunder-stone  grew  so 
terrific,  and  the  lightning  so  hot  and  unmanage 
able,  that  the  boys,  drawing  a  long  breath  and 
thinking  with  immense  satisfaction  of  the  fun  they 
had  had,  possibly  also  influenced  as  to  the  safety 
of  the  house,  which  was  beginning  to  totter,  flung 
the  thunder-stone  and  the  lightning-shaft  into  the 
sky,  where,  rattling  and  flashing  away,  they  finally 
disappeared  over  the  mountains  in  the  south. 

Then  the  clouds  rolled  away  and  the  sun  shone 
out,  and  the  boys,  wet  to  the  skin,  tired  in  good 
earnest,  and  hungry  as  well,  looked  around. 
"  Goodness  !  the  water  is  running  out  of  the 


Ahaiyiita  and  Matsailema  183 

windows  of  our  house !  This  is  a  pretty  mess 
we  are  in  !  Grandmother  !  Grandmother  !  "  they 
shouted.  "  Open  the  door,  and  let  us  in  !  "  But 
the  old  grandmother  had  piped  her  last,  and  never 
a  sound  came  except  that  of  flowing  water.  They 
sat  themselves  down  on  the  roof,  and  waited  for 
the  water  to  get  lower.  Then  they  climbed  down, 
and  pounded  open  the  door,  and  the  water  came 
out  with  a  rush,  and  out  with  a  rush,  too,  their 
poor  old  grandmother, — her  eyes  staring,  her  hair 
all  mopped  and  muddied,  and  her  fingers  and  legs 
as  stiff  as  cedar  sticks. 

"  Oh,   ye  gods  !    ye  gods  ! "  the    two    boys   ex 
claimed  ;  "  we  have  killed  our  own  grandmother- 
poor  old  grandmother,  who  scolded  us  so  hard  and 
loved  us  so  much  !     Let  us  bury  her  here  in  front 
of  the  door,  as  soon  as  the  water  has  run  away." 

So,  as  soon  as  it  became  dry  enough,  there  they 
buried  her  ;  and  in  less  than  four  days  a  strange 
plant  grew  up  on  that  spot,  and  on  its  little  branches, 
amid  its  bright  green  leaves,  hung  long,  pointed 
pods  of  fruit,  as  red  as  the  fire  on  the  breast  of  the 
red-bird. 

44  It  is  well,"  said  the  boys,  as  they  stood  one  day 
looking  at  this  plant.  "  Let  us  scatter  the  seeds 
abroad,  that  men  may  find  and  plant  them.  It 
seems  it  was  not  without  good  cause  that  in 
the  abandonment  to  our  sport  we  killed  our  old 
grandmother,  for  out  of  her  heart  there  sprung  a 
plant  into  the  fruits  of  which,  as  it  were,  has  flowed 
the  color  as  well  as  the  fire  of  her  scolding  tongue ; 
and,  if  we  have  lost  our  grandmother,  whom  we 


1 84  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

loved  much,  but  who  loved  us  more,  men  have 
gained  a  new  food,  which,  though  it  burn  them, 
shall  please  them  more  than  did  the  heat  of  her 
discourse  please  us.  Poor  old  grandmother !  Men 
will  little  dream  when  they  eat  peppers  that  the 
seed  of  them  first  arose  from  the  fiery  heart  of  the 
grandmother  of  Ahaiyuta  and  Matsailema." 

Thereupon  the  two  seized  the  pods  and  crushed 
them  between  their  hands,  with  an  exclamation  of 
pleasure  at  the  brisk  odor  they  gave  forth.  They 
cast  the  seeds  abroad,  which  seeds  here  and  there 
took  root ;  and  the  plants  which  sprang  from  them 
being  found  by  men,  were  esteemed  good  and  were 
cultivated,  as  they  are  to  this  day  in  the  pepper 
gardens  of  Zuni. 

Ever  since  this  time  you  hear  that  mountain 
wherein  lived  the  gods  with  their  grandmother 
called  Thunder  Mountain  ;  and  often,  indeed,  to 
this  day,  the  lightning  flashes  and  the  thunder 
plays  over  its  brows  and  the  rain  falls  there  most 
frequently. 

It  is  said  by  some  that  the  two  boys,  when  asked 
how  they  stole  the  lightning-shaft  and  the  thunder- 
stone,  told  on  their  poor  old  grandfather,  the 
Centipede.  The  beloved  Gods  of  the  Rain  gave 
him  the  lightning-shaft  to  handle  in  another  way, 
and  it  so  burned  and  shrivelled  him  that  he  became 
small,  as  you  can  see  by  looking  at  any  of  his  nu 
merous  descendants,  who  are  not  only  small  but 
appear  like  a  well-toasted  bit  of  buckskin,  fringed 
at  the  edges. 

So  shortens  my  story. 


Photo  by  A.  C.  Vroman 


A  HOPI   (MOKl)  MAIDEN 


THE  WARRIOR  SUITOR  OF  MOKI 

E  take  up  a  story.  Of  the  times  of 
the  ancients,  a  story.  Listen,  ye 
young  ones  and  youths,  and  from  what 
I  say  draw  inference.  For  behold  !  the 
youth  of  our  nation  in  these  recent 
generations  have  become  less  sturdy  than  of  old  ; 
else  what  I  relate  had  not  happened. 

To  our  shame  be  it  told  that  not  many  genera 
tions  ago  there  lived  in  Moki  a  poor,  ill-favored  out 
cast  of  a  young  man,  a  not-to-be-thought-of-as-hero 
youth,  yet  nevertheless  the  hero  of  my  story  ;  for 
this  youth,  the  last-mentioned  in  the  numbering  of 
the  men  of  Moki  in  those  days,  alone  brought  great 
grief  on  the  nation  of  Zuni. 

And  it  happened  that  in  Walpi,  on  the  first  mesa 
of  the  Mokis,  there  lived  an  amiable,  charming,  and 
surpassingly  beautiful  girl,  whose  face  was  shining, 
eyes  bright,  cheeks  red  like  the  frost-bite  on  the 
datila1 ;  whose  hair  was  abundant  and  soft,  blacl 
and  waving,  and  done  up  in  large  whorls  above  her 
ears, — larger  than  those  of  the  other  maidens  of 
her  town  or  nation, — and  whose  beautiful  posses 
sions  were  as  many  as  were  the  charms  of  her 
person. 

What  wonder,  then,  that  the  youths  of  the  Moki 
towns  should  be  enamored  of  her,  and  seek  con 
stantly,  with  much  urgent  bespeaking,  for  the  favor 

1  Fruit  of  the  yucca,  or  soap-weed  plant. 

185 


1 86  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

of  her  affections?  Yet  she  would  none  of  them. 
She  would  shake  her  head  with  a  saucy  smile,  and 
reply  to  every  one,  as  well  as  to  every  recommenda 
tion  of  one  from  her  elders  :  "  A  hero  for  me  or  no 
one  !  Any  one  of  these  young  men  may  win  my 
affections  if  he  will,  for  who  knows  until  the  time 
comes  whether  a  man  be  a  hero  or  not  ?  " 

So  she  made  a  proposition.  She  said  to  all  the 
youths  who  came  suing  for  her  hand  :  "  Behold ! 
our  nation  is  at  enmity  with  the  Zunis,  far  off  to 
the  eastward,  over  the  mountains.  If  any  of  you  be 
so  stout  of  limb  and  strong  of  heart  and  brave  of 
will,  let  him  go  to  Zuni,  slay  the  men  of  that  nation, 
our  enemies,  and  bring  home,  not  only  as  proofs  of 
his  valor,  but  as  presentations  to  the  warrior  socie 
ties  of  our  people,  scalps  in  goodly  number.  Him 
will  I  admire  to  the  tips  of  my  eyelashes  ;  him  will 
I  cherish  to  the  extent  of  my  powers  ;  him  will  I 
make  my  husband,  and  in  such  a  husband  will  I 
glory!" 

But  most  of  the  young  and  handsome  suitors  who 
worried  her  with  their  importunities  would  depart 
forthwith,  crestfallen,  loving  the  girl  as  they  did, 
forsooth,  much  less  than  they  feared  the  warriors  of 
Zuni, — so  degenerate  they  had  become,  for  shame  ! 
Months  passed  by.  Not  one  of  those  who  went  to 
the  maiden's  house  full  of  love  came  away  from  it 
with  as  much  love  as  want  of  valor. 

At  last  this  outcast  youth  I  have  mentioned — 
who  was  spoken  to  by  none,  who  lived  not  even  in 
the  houses  of  his  people,  but,  all  filth  and  rags, 
made  himself  comfortable  as  best  he  could  with  the 


The  Warrior  Suitor  of  Moki          187 

dogs  and  eagles  and  other  creatures  captive  of  the 
people,  eating  like  them  the  castaway  and  unwhole 
some  scraps  of  ordinary  meals — heard  these  jilted 
lovers  conversing  from  time  to  time,  exclaiming  one 
to  another  :  "  A  valuable  maiden,  indeed,  for  whom 
one  would  risk  one's  life  single  handed  against  a 
nation  whose  ancients  ever  prevailed  over  all  men  ! 
No !  though  she  be  the  loveliest  of  women,  I  care 
not  for  her  on  those  conditions."  "  Nor  I !  "  "  Nor 
I  !  "  others  would  exclaim. 

Overhearing  this  talk,  the  youth  formed  a  most 
presumptuous  resolution — no  other,  in  fact,  than 
this  :  that  he  himself  would  woo  the  maiden. 

All  dirty  and  ragged  as  he  was,  with  hair  un 
kempt,  finger-nails  long,  and  person  calloused  by 
much  exposure,  lean  and  wiry  like  an  abused  but 
hardened  cur,  he  took  himself  one  night  to  the 
home  of  the  maiden's  father. 

"She-e!"  he  exclaimed  at  the  entrance  of  the 
house,  on  the  top. 

And  the  people  within  called  out :  "  Kwdtchi !  " 

"  Are  ye  in?"  inquired  the  youth,  in  such  an 
affable  and  finished  tone  and  manner  of  speaking 
that  the  people  expected  to  see  some  magnificent 
youth  enter,  and  to  listen  to  his  proposal  of  mar 
riage  with  their  maiden. 

When  they  called  out  "  Come  in ! "  and  he 
came  stepping  down  the  ladder  into  the  lighted 
room,  they  were,  therefore,  greatly  surprised  to  see 
this  vagabond  in  the  place  of  what  they  expected  ; 
nevertheless,  the  old  father  greeted  him  pleasantly 
and  politely  and  showed  him  a  seat  before  the 


i88  Zufti  Folk  Tales 

fireplace,  and  bade  the  women  set  food  before 
him.  And  the  youth,  although  he  had  not  for 
many  a  day  tasted  good  food  or  consumed  a  full 
meal  even,  ate  quite  sparingly ;  and,  having  fin 
ished,  joined,  by  the  old  man's  invitation,  in  the 
smoking  and  conversation  of  the  evening. 

At  last  the  old  man  asked  him  what  he  came 
thinking  of ;  and  the  youth  stated  that,  although  it 
might  seem  presumptuous,  he  had  heard  of  the 
conditions  which  the  maiden  of  this  house  had 
made  for  those  who  would  win  her,  and  it  had 
occurred  to  him  that  he  would  be  glad  to  try, — so 
little  were  his  merits,  yet  so  great  his  love. 

The  old  man  listened,  with  an  inward  smile ;  and 
the  maiden,  though  she  conceived  no  dislike  for  the 
youth  (there  was  something  about  him,  strange  to 
say,  now  that  his  voice  had  been  heard,  which 
changed  her  opinion  of  him),  nevertheless  was 
quite  merry,  all  to  herself,  over  this  unheard-of  pro 
posal.  So,  when  she  was  asked  what  she  thought 
of  the  matter,  merely  to  test  the  seriousness  of  the 
young  vagabond's  motives,  she  made  the  conditions 
for  him  even  harder  than  she  had  for  the  others, 
saying  :  "  Look  you,  stranger  !  If  you  will  slay 
single-handed  some  of  the  warriors  of  the  valiant 
Zunis  and  bring  back  to  our  town,  to  the  joy  of  our 
warriors  and  people,  a  goodly  number  of  their 
scalps,  I  will  indeed  wed  you,  as  I  have  said  I 
would  the  others." 

This  satisfied  the  youth,  and,  bidding  them  all 
pass  a  happy  night,  he  went  forth  into  the  dark. 

Not  quite  so  poor  and  helpless  as  he  seemed,  was 


The  Warrior  Suitor  of  Moki          189 

this  youth  ;  but  one  of  those  wonderful  beings  of 
this  earth  in  reality,  for,  behold  !  as  he  had  lived 
all  his  days  since  childhood  with  the  dogs  and 
eagles  and  other  captive  animals  of  the  towns  of 
Moki-land,  so,  from  long  association  with  them,  he 
had  learned  their  ways  and  language  and  had 
gained  their  friendship  and  allegiance  as  no  other 
mortal  ever  did.  No  family  had  he  ;  no  one  to 
advise  him,  save  this  great  family  of  dogs  and  other 
animals  with  which  he  lived. 

What  do  you  suppose  he  did  ?  He  went  to  each 
hole,  sheltered  nook,  and  oven  in  the  town  and 
called  on  the  Dogs  to  join  him  in  council,  not  long 
before  morning  of  that  same  night.  Every  Dog  in 
the  town  answered  the  summons  ;  and,  below  the 
mesa  on  which  Walpi  stands,  on  one  of  those  slop 
ing  banks  lighted  by  the  moon,  they  gathered  and 
made  a  tremendous  clamor  with  their  yelpings  and 
barkings  and  other  noises  such  as  you  are  accus 
tomed  to  hear  from  Dogs  at  night-time.  The 
proposition  which  the  youth  made  to  this  council 
of  Dogs  was  as  follows  : 

11  My  friends  and  brothers,  I  am  about  to  go 
forth  on  the  path  of  war  to  the  cities  of  the  Zunis 
toward  the  sunrise.  If  I  succeed,  my  reward  will 
be  great.  Now,  as  I  well  know  from  having  lived 
amongst  you  and  been  one  of  you  so  long,  there 
are  two  things  which  are  more  prized  in  a  Dog's 
life  than  anything  else.  An  occasional  good  feast 
is  one  of  them  ;  being  let  alone  is  another.  I  think 
I  can  bring  about  both  of  these  rewards  for  you  all 
if  you  will,  four  days  hence,  after  I  have  prepared 


i9°  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

a  sufficiency  of  food  for  the  party,  join  me  in  my 
warlike  expedition  against  the  Zunis." 

The  Dogs  greeted  this  proposition  with  vociferous 
acclamation,  and  the  council  dispersed. 

On  the  following  day,  toward  evening,  the  youth 
again  presented  himself  at  the  home  of  the  maiden. 
"  My  friends,"  said  he  to  the  family  ;  "  I  am,  as  you 
know,  or  can  easily  perceive,  extremely  poor.  I 
have  no  home  nor  source  of  food  ;  yet,  as  I  antici 
pate  that  I  shall  be  long  on  this  journey,  and  as  I 
neither  possess  nor  know  how  to  use  a  bow  and 
arrow,  I  come  to  humbly  beseech  your  assistance. 
I  will  undertake  this  thing  which  has  been  pro 
posed  to  me ;  but,  in  order  that  I  may  be  enabled 
the  more  easily  to  do  so,  I  desire  that  you  will 
present  to  me  a  sufficiency  of  food  for  my  journey  ; 
or,  if  you  will  lend  it  to  me,  I  shall  be  satisfied." 

Now,  the  maiden's  people  were  among  the  first 
in  the  nation,  and  well-to-do  in  all  ways.  They 
most  willingly  consented  to  give  the  young  man 
not  only  a  sufficiency  of  food  for  days,  but  for 
months  ;  and  when  he  went  away  that  night  he  had 
all  that  he  could  carry  of  meal,  coarse  and  fine,  piki 
or  Moki  wafer-rolls,  tortillas,  and  abundant  grease- 
cakes,  which  he  well  knew  would  be  most  tempting 
to  Dogs. 

On  the  fourth  day  thereafter, — for  he  had  been 
making  his  weapons  :  some  flint  knives  and  a  good 
hard  war-club, — at  evening,  he  again  called  at  each 
of  the  holes  and  places  the  Dogs  of  the  town  in 
habited,  and  he  said  to  all  of  them  :  "  I  shall  leave 
forthwith  on  my  journey,  having  provided  myself 


The  Warrior  Suitor  of  Moki          191 

with  a  sufficiency  of  food  for  much  feasting  on  the 
way.  Like  yourselves,  I  have  become  inured  to 
hardship  and  am  swift  of  foot,  and  by  midnight  I 
shall  be  half-way  to  Zuni.  As  soon  as  the  people 
are  asleep,  that  they  may  not  pelt  you  with  stones 
and  drive  you  back,  follow  on  the  trail  to  Zuni  as 
fast  as  you  can.  I  will  await  you  by  the  side  of 
the  Black  Mountains,  near  the  Spring  of  the  Night- 
hawks,  and  there  I  will  cook  the  provisions,  that 
we  may  have  a  jolly  feast  and  the  more  strongly 
proceed  oh  our  journey  the  day  following." 

The  Dogs  gave  him  repeated  assurances  of  their 
willingness  to  follow ;  and,  heavily  laden  with  his 
provisions,  the  youth,  just  at  dusk,  climbed  unob 
served  down  the  nether  side  of  the  mesa  and  set 
out  through  the  plains  of  sagebrush,  over  the  hills 
far  east  of  Moki,  and  so  on  along  the  plateaus  and 
valleys  leading  to  this  our  town  of  Zuni.  At  the 
place  he  had  appointed  as  a  rendezvous  he  arrived 
not  long  before  midnight,  lighted  a  fire,  unstrapped 
his  provisions,  and  began  to  cook  mush  in  great 
quantities. 

Now,  after  the  lights  in  the  windows  of  Moki 
began  to  go  out — shutting  up  their  red  eyes,  as  it 
were,  as  the  maidens  of  Moki  shut  up  their  bright 
eyes  —  there  was  tremendous  activity  observed 
among  the  Dogs.  But  they  made  not  much  noise 
about  it  until  every  last  Dog  in  town — as  motley  a 
crowd  of  curs  and  mongrels  as  ever  were  seen,  un 
less  one  might  see  all  the  Dogs  of  Moki  today — 
descended  the  mesa,  and  one  by  one  gathered  in  a 
great  pack,  and  started,  baying,  barking,  and 


i92  Zufii  Folk  Tales 

howling  louder  and  louder  as  they  went  along  over 
the  eastern  hills  on  the  trail  which  the  youth  had 
taken. 

By-and-by  he  heard  them  coming  ;  te-ne-e-e-e  they 
sounded  as  they  ran  ;  wo-wo-o-o-o  they  came,  bay 
ing  and  barking  in  all  sorts  of  voices,  nearer  and 
nearer.  So  the  youth  prepared  his  provisions,  and 
as  the  nearest  of  them  came  into  the  light  of  the 
fire,  cried  out:  "  Ho,  my  friends,  ye  come  !  I  am 
glad  to  see  ye  come  !  Sit  ye  round  my  camp-fire. 
Let  us  feast  and  be  merry  and  lighten  the  load  of 
my  provisions.  Methinks  we  will  all  carry  some  of 
them  when  we  start  out  tomorrow." 

Thereupon  he  liberally  distributed  mush,  torti 
llas,  and  paper  bread, — inviting  the  hot,  tired  Dogs 
to  drink  their  fill  from  the  spring  and  eat  their  fill 
from  the  feast.  The  Dogs,  being  very  hungry, 
as  Dogs  always  are — and  the  more  so  from  the 
memory  of  many  a  long  fast — fell  to  with  avidity 
(and  you  know  what  that  means  with  Dogs)  ;  and 
the  Short-legs  and  Beagles  would  not  have  fared 
very  well  had  the  youth  not  considered  them  and 
held  back  a  good  supply  of  provisions  against 
their  tardy  appearance. 

Finally,  when  all  were  assembled  and  had  eaten, 
if  not  to  their  satisfaction  —  that  was  impossi 
ble — yet  to  their  temporary  gratification,  a  merry, 
noisy,  much-wriggling  crowd  they  became.  Some 
lay  down  and  rested,  others  were  impatient  for  the 
journey  ;  so  that  even  before  daylight  the  youth, 
making  up  his  bundle  of  provisions,  again  set  forth 
at  a  swift  trot,  followed  by  this  pack  of  Dogs  which 


The  Warrior  Suitor  of  Moki 


ran  along  either  side  of  him  and  strung  out  on  the 
trail  the  length  of  a  race-course  behind  him. 

Before  night,  see  this  valiant  youth  quietly  hid 
ing  himself  away  in  one  of  the  deep  arroyos 
around  the  western  end  of  Grand  Mountain,  and 
the  foot-hills  of  Twin  Mountain,  near  which,  as  you 
know,  the  trail  from  Moki  leads  to  our  town.  He 
is  giving  directions  to  the  Dogs  in  a  quiet  manner, 
and  feeding  them  again,  rather  more  sparingly 
than  at  first  that  they  may  be  anxious  for  their 
work. 

He  says  to  them  :  "  My  friends  and  brothers, 
lay  yourselves  about  here,  each  one  according  to 
his  color  in  places  most  suited  for  concealment,  — 
some  near  the  gray  sage-bushes;  and  you  fellows 
with  fine  marks  on  your  backs  keep  out  of  sight, 
pray,  in  these  deep  holes,  and  come  in  as  our 
reserve  force  when  we  want  you.  Now,  lie  here 
patiently,  for  you  will  have  enough  work  to  do, 
and  can  afford  to  rest.  Tomorrow  morning,  not 
long  after  sunrise,  I  shall  doubtless  come,  with 
more  precipitation  than  willingness,  toward  your 
ambuscade,  with  a  pack  of  Dogs  less  worthy  the 
name  than  yourselves  at  my  heels.  Be  ready  to 
help  me  ;  they  are  well-nurtured  Dogs,  and  doubt 
less,  if  you  like,  you  will  be  wise  enough  to  make 
much  of  this  fact." 

The  Dogs  were  well  pleased  with  his  proposi 
tion,  and,  in  louder  voices  than  was  prudent,  attested 
their  readiness  to  follow  his  suggestion,  going  so 
far  as  to  assure  him  that  he  need  have  no  fear 

whatsoever,  that  they  alone  would  vanquish  the  Zuni 

13 


i94  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

nation — which,  they  had  heard  from  other  Dogs, 
was  becoming  rather  lazy  and  indifferent  in  manly 
matters,  Dogs  and  all. 

The  night  wore  on  ;  the  youth  had  refreshed 
himself  with  sleep,  and  somewhat  after  the  herald- 
stars  of  the  morning-star  had  appeared,  he  stealthily 
picked  his  way  across  our  broad  plain,  toward  the 
hill  of  Zuni  ;  and  out  west  there,  only  a  short  space 
from  the  sunset  front  of  our  town,  he  crouched 
down  on  a  little  terrace  to  wait. 

Not  long  after  the  morning-star  had  risen,  a  fine 
old  Zuni  came  out  of  his  house,  shook  his  blanket, 
wrapped  it  round  him,  and  came  stealing  down  in 
the  daylight  to  the  river  side.  After  he  had  pre 
sented  his  morning  sacrifice  toward  the  rising  sun, 
he  returned  and  sat  down  a  moment.  He  had  no 
sooner  seated  himself  than  the  wily,  sinewy  youth 
with  a  quick  motion  sprang  up,  pulled  the  poor 
man  over,  and  with  his  war-club  knocked  his  brains 
out,  after  which  he  leisurely  took  off  the  scalp  of 
the  one  he  had  slain.  He  had  barely  finished  this 
operation  when  he  heard  a  ladder  creak  in  one  of 
the  upper  terraces  of  the  town.  He  quickly  tucked 
the  scalp  in  his  belt,  pulled  himself  together,  and 
thrusting  the  body  of  the  dead  man  into  the  bottom 
of  a  hole,  which  was  very  near,  crouched  over  it  and 
waited.  The  footsteps  of  the  man  who  was  coming 
sounded  nearer  and  nearer.  Presently  he  also  came 
to  this  place  ;  but  no  sooner  had  he  reached  the 
terrace  than  the  Moki  youth  leaped  up  and  dealt 
him  such  a  blow  on  the  head  that,  without  uttering 
a  sound,  he  instantly  expired.  This  one  he  like- 


The  Warrior  Suitor  of  Moki  195 

wise  scalped,  and  then  another  and  another  he 
served  in  the  same  way,  until,  there  being  four  slain 
men  in  the  pit,  he  had  to  drag  some  out  of  the  way 
and  throw  them  behind  the  dust-heap.  Just  as  he 
returned  another  man  sauntered  down  to  the  place. 
The  youth  murdered  him  like  the  rest,  and  was 
busy  skinning  his  scalp,  when  another  who  had  fol 
lowed  him  somewhat  closely  appeared  at  the  hole, 
and  discovering  what  was  going  on,  ran  toward  the 
town  for  his  weapons,  shouting  the  war-cry  of  alarm 
as  he  went.  Picking  up  the  scalps  and  snatching 
from  the  bodies  of  the  slain  their  ornaments  of 
greatest  value,  the  Moki  youth  sped  off  over  the 
plain. 

In  less  time  than  it  takes  to  tell  it,  the  people  of 
Zuni  were  in  arms  ;  dogs  barked,  children  cried, 
women  screamed, — for  no  one  knew  how  many  the 
enemy  might  be, — and  the  Priests  of  the  Bow,  in 
half-secured  armor  of  buckskin,  and  with  weapons 
in  hand,  came  thundering  down  the  hill  and  across 
the  plains  in  pursuit  of  the  fleeing  youth  and  in 
readiness  to  oppose  his  band.  Long  before  this 
crowd  of  warriors,  now  fully  awake  and  wild  with 
rage,  had  reached  the  spot,  the  youth  plunged  into 
the  arroyo  and  called  out  to  his  Dogs  :  "  Now  for  it, 
my  friends  !  They  will  be  here  in  a  minute  !  Do 
you  hear  them  coming  ?  " 

"Oh,  ho!"  softly  barked  the  Dogs;  and  they 
stiffened  their  claws  and  crouched  themselves  to 
spring  when  the  time  should  come. 

Presently  on  came  the  crowd  of  warriors,  now 
feeling  that  they  had  but  a  small  force,  if  indeed 


1 96  Zufii  Folk  Tales 

more  than  one  man  to  oppose.  And  they  came 
with  such  precipitation  that  they  took  the  gray  and 
dun  and  yellow-shaded  Dogs  for  so  many  rocks  and 
heaps  of  sand,  and  were  fairly  in  the  midst  of  those 
brutes  before  they  became  aware  of  them  at  all. 
Death  and  ashes  !  what  a  time  there  was  of  it ! 
The  youth  fell  in  with  his  war-club,  the  Dogs  around, 
behind,  and  in  front  of  them  howling,  snarling,  bit 
ing,  tearing,  and  shaking  the  Zufris  on  every  hand, 
until  every  one  of  the  band  was  torn  to  pieces  or  so 
mangled  that  a  few  taps  of  the  club  of  the  youth 
dispatched  them.  Those  who  had  followed  behind, 
not  knowing  what  to  think  of  it  all,  frantically  ran 
back  to  their  people, — the  shame-begrimed  cow 
ards  ! — while  the  youth,  with  abundant  leisure,  went 
on  skinning  scalps,  until,  perceiving  much  activity 
in  the  distant  town,  concluded  it  would  be  wise  to 
abandon  some  few  he  had  not  finished.  So,  catching 
up  his  pack  of  provisions  and  his  bloody  string  of 
scalps  (which  was  so  long  and  thick  he  could,  hardly 
carry  it,  and  which  dragged  on  the  ground  behind 
him),  he  trotted  over  the  hills,  followed  by  some  of 
the  Dogs — the  others  remaining  behind,  feeling 
more  secure  of  swiftness — to  take  advantage  of 
the  ample  feast  spread  before  them. 

When  the  youth  and  the  Dogs  who  followed 
him,  or  afterward  joined  him,  had  again  reached 
the  great  spring  by  the  Black  Mountains,  leaving 
those  who  pursued  far  behind,  they  stopped ; 
and,  building  a  fire  of  brush  and  pine-knots,  the 
youth  cooked  all  the  provisions  he  had.  "  Thanks 
this  day,  my  friends  and  brothers  !  "  he  cried  to  the 


The  Warrior  Suitor  of  Moki          197 

Dogs.  "  Ye  have  nobly  served  me.  I  will  feast 
ye  of  the  best."  Whereupon  he  produced  the 
grease-cakes  and  the  more  delicate  articles  of  food 
which  he  had  reserved  as  a  reward  for  the  Dogs. 
They  ate  and  ate,  and  loud  were  their  demonstra 
tions  of  satisfaction.  Then  the  youth,  taking  up 
the  string  of  scalps  again,  attached  them  to  a  long 
pole,  which,  to  keep  the  lower  ones  from  dragging 
on  the  ground,  he  elevated  over  his  shoulder,  and, 
striking  up  a  song  of  victory,  he  wound  his  way 
along  the  trail  toward  Moki. 

The  Dogs,  crazy  with  victory  and  much  glutted, 
could  not  contain  themselves,  but  they  bow-wowed 
with  delight  and  yelped  and  scurried  about,  cutting 
circles  dusty  and  wide  around  their  father,  the  con 
quering  youth.  They  hurried  on  so  fast  that  by- 
and-by  it  was  noticeable  that  the  Beagle  Dogs  fell 
in  the  rear.  "  By  the  music  of  marrowbones  !  "  ex 
claimed  some  of  the  swifter  of  foot ;  "we  will  have 
to  slacken  our  pace,  father."  Said  they,  address 
ing  the  youth  :  "  Our  poor  brothers,  the  Short-legs, 
are  evidently  getting  tired  ;  they  are  falling  far  in 
the  rear,  and  it  is  not  valorous,  however  great  your 
victory  and  however  strong  your  desire  to  proclaim 
it  at  home,  to  leave  a  worn-out  brother  lagging  be 
hind.  The  enemy  might  come  unawares  and  cut 
off  his  return  and  his  daylight."  Most  reluctantly, 
therefore,  they  slackened  their  pace,  and  with 
shouts  and  yelps  encouraged  as  much  as  possible 
the  stump-legged  Dogs  following  behind. 

Now,  on  that  day  in  Moki  there  had  been  much 
surprise  expressed  at  the  absence  of  the  Dogs, 


Zuni  Folk  Tales 

except  those  which  were  so  young  or  so  old  that  they 
could  not  travel ;  and  the  people  began  to  think 
that  some  devil  or  all  the  wizards  in  Mokidom  had 
been  conjuring  their  Dogs  away  from  them,  when 
toward  evening  they  heard  a  distant  sound,  which 
was  the  approaching  victors'  demonstration  of  re 
joicing,  and  clear  above  all  was  the  song  of  victory 
shouted  by  the  lusty  youth  as  he  came  bringing 
his  scalps  along.  "  Woo,  woo,  woo  ! "  the  Dogs 
sounded  as  they  came  across  the  valley  and  ap 
proached  the  foot  of  the  mesa  ;  and  when  the 
people  looked  down  and  saw  the  blood  and  dirt 
with  which  every  Dog  was  covered,  they  knew  not 
what  to  make  of  it, — whether  their  Dogs  had  been 
enticed  away  and  foully  beaten,  or  whether  they 
had  taken  after  a  herd  of  antelope,  perhaps,  and 
vanquished  them.  But  presently  they  espied  in 
the  midst  of  the  motley  crowd  of  Curs  the  tall  lank 
form  of  the  vagabond  youth  and  heard  his  lusty 
song.  The  youths  who  had  been  jilted  by  the 
maiden  at  once  had  their  own  ideas.  Some  of 
them  sneaked  away ;  others  ground  their  teeth  and 
covered  their  eyes,  filled  with  rage  and  shame ; 
while  the  elder-men  of  the  nation,  seeing  what  feats 
of  valor  this  neglected  youth  had  accomplished, 
glorified  him  with  answering  songs  of  victory  and 
gathered  in  solemn  council,  as  if  for  a  most  hon 
ored  and  precious  guest,  to  receive  him. 

So,  victorious  and  successful  in  all  ways,  the  out 
cast  dog  of  a  youth  who  went  to  Zuni  and  returned 
the  hero  of  the  Moki  nation  right  willingly  was 
accepted  by  this  beauteous  maiden  as  her  husband 


The  Warrior  Suitor  of  Moki          199 

after  the  ceremonies  of  initiation  and  purification 
had  been  performed  over  him. 

Ah,  well !  that  was  very  fine ;  but  all  this  praise 
of  one  who  had  been  despised  and  abused  by  them 
selves,  and,  more  than  all,  the  possession  of  such  a 
beautiful  wife,  wrought  fierce  jealousy  in  the  breasts 
of  the  many  jilted  lovers  ;  making  those  who  had 
looked  askance  at  one  another  before,  true  friends 
and  firm  brothers  in  a  single  cause — the  undoing  of 
this  lucky  vagabond  youth.  Nor  were  they  alone  in 
this  desire,  for  behold  !  copying  their  lucky  sister,  all 
the  pretty  maidens  in  Moki  declared  that  they 
would  marry  no  one  who  did  not  show  himself  at 
least  in  some  degree  heroic,  like  the  youth  of  the 
dog-holes  who  had  married  their  pretty  sister.  It 
therefore  came  about  that  the  whole  tribe  of  Moki, 
so  far  as  the  young  men  were  concerned,  became  a 
company  of  jilted  lovers,  and  all  the  maidens  became 
confirmed  in  their  resolutions  of  virgin  maiden 
hood. 

The  jilted  lovers  got  together  one  night  in  a 
cautious  sort  of  way  (for  they  were  all  afraid  of  this 
hero)  and  held  a  council.  But  the  fools  did  n't 
think  of  the  Dogs  lying  around  outside,  who  heard 
what  they  said.  They  concluded  the  best  way  to 
get  even  with  this  youth  was  to  kill  him  ;  but  how 
to  kill  him  was  the  problem,  for  they  were  cowards. 
"  We  will  get  up  a  hunt,"  said  one  ;  "  and  make 
friends  with  him  and  ask  him  to  go,  paying  him  all 
sorts  of  attention,  and  ask  him  to  instruct  us  in  the 
arts  of  war,  the  wretch  !  He  will  readily  join  us  in 
our  hunting  excursion,  and  some  of  us  will  sling  a 


200  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

throwing-stick  at  him  and  finish  the  conceited 
fellow's  days  ! " 

Now,  the  Dogs  scrambled  off  immediately  and 
informed  their  friend  and  brother  what  was  going  on. 

He  said  :  "All  right !  I  will  accept  their  ad 
vances  and  go  with  them  on  the  hunt." 

He  went  off  that  night  to  a  cave,  where  he  had 
often  sought  shelter  from  the  wind  when  driven  out 
of  the  town  of  Walpi,  and  thus  had  made  acquain 
tance  with  those  most  unerring  travellers  in  crooked 
places — the  Cave-swallows.  He  went  to  one  of 
them,  an  elderly,  wise  bird,  and,  addressing  him  as 
"  Grandfather,"  told  him  what  was  going  on. 

"  Very  well,"  said  the  old  bird ;  "  I  will  help 
you."  And  he  made  a  boomerang  for  the  youth 
which  had  the  power  to  fly  around  bushes  and 
down  into  gullies ;  and  if  well  thrown,  of  course,  it 
could  not  be  dodged  by  any  rabbit,  however  swift 
of  foot  or  sly  in  hiding.  Having  finished  this 
boomerang,  he  told  the  youth  to  take  it  and  use  it 
freely  in  hunting.  The  youth  thanked  him,  and 
returning  to  his  town  passed  a  peaceful  night. 

When  he  appeared  the  next  morning,  the  others 
greeted  him  pleasantly — those  who  happened  to 
see  him — to  which  greetings  he  replied  with  equal 
cordiality.  They  were  so  importunate  with  the 
priest-chiefs  to  be  allowed  to  undertake  a  grand 
rabbit-hunt  that  these  fathers  of  the  people,  always 
desirous  of  contributing  to  the  happiness  of  their 
children,  ordered  a  grand  hunt  for  the  very  next 
day.  So  everybody  was  busy  forthwith  in  making 
throwing-sticks  and  boomerangs. 


The  Warrior  Suitor  of  Moki          201 

The  next  day  all  the  able-bodied  youth  of  the 
town,  selecting  the  hero  of  whom  we  have  told  as 
their  leader,  took  their  way  to  the  great  plain 
south  of  Moki,  and  there,  spreading  out  into  an 
enormous  circle,  they  drove  hundreds  of  rabbits 
closer  and  closer  together  among  the  sagebrush  in 
the  center  of  the  valley.  Some  of  them  succeeded 
in  striking  down  one — some  of  them  three  or  four 
— but  ere  long  every  one  observed  that  each  time 
the  youth  threw  his  stick  he  struck  a  rabbit  and 
secured  it,  until  he  had  so  many  that  he  was  forced 
to  call  some  boys  who  had  followed  along  to  carry 
them  for  him. 

Already  inflamed  by  their  jealousies  to  great 
anger,  what  was,  the  chagrin  of  this  crowd  of  dan 
dies,  now  that  this  youth  whom  they  so  heartily 
despised  actually  surpassed  them  even  in  hunting 
rabbits  !  They  gnashed  their  teeth  with  rage,  and 
one  of  them  in  a  moment  of  excitement,  when  two 
or  three  rabbits  were  trying  to  escape,  took  delib 
erate  aim  at  the  youth  and  threw  his  boomerang  at 
him.  The  youth,  who  was  wily,  sprang  into  the 
air  so  high,  pretending  meanwhile  to  throw  his 
boomerang,  that  the  missile  missed  his  vital  parts, 
but  struck  his  leg  and  apparently  broke  it,  so  that 
he  fell  down  senseless  in  the  midst  of  the  crowd ; 
and  the  people  set  up  a  great  shout — some  of  la 
mentation,  some  of  exultation. 

"  Let  him  lie  there  and  rot ! "  said  the  angry 
suitors,  catching  up  their  own  rabbits  and  making 
off  for  the  pueblo.  But  some  of  the  old  men,  who 
deplored  this  seeming  accident  of  the  youth,  ran  as 


202  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

fast  as  they  could  toward  the  town — fearing  to 
raise  him  lest  they  should  make  his  hurt  worse — 
for  medicine. 

When  the  youth  had  been  left  alone,  he  opened 
his  eyes  and  smiled.  Then,  taking  from  his  pouch 
a  medicine  unfailing  in  its  effects,  applied  it  to  the 
bruised  spot  and  quickly  became  relieved  of  pain, 
if  not  even  of  injury.  Rising,  he  looked  about  and 
found  the  rabbits  where,  panic-stricken,  the  boys 
had  dropped  them  and  fled  away.  He  made  up  a 
huge  bundle,  and  not  long  before  sunset,  behold  ! 
singing  merrily,  he  came  marching,  though  limping 
somewhat,  through  the  plain  before  the  foot-hills  of 
Moki,  bearing  an  enormous  burden  of  rabbits.  He 
climbed  the  mesa,  greeted  every  one  pleasantly  as 
though  nothing  had  occurred,  took  his  way  to  his 
home,  and  became  admired  of  all  the  women  of 
Moki,  young  and  old,  as  a  paragon  of  valor  and 
manhood. 

It  became  absolutely  necessary  after  that,  of 
course, — for  these  faint-hearted  dandies  tried  no 
more  tricks  with  the  youth, — for  anyone  who  would 
marry  a  Moki  maiden  to  show  himself  a  man  in 
some  way  or  other ;  and,  as  the  ugliest  and  most 
neglected  of  children  generally  turn  out  sharpest 
because  they  have  to  look  out  for  themselves,  so  it 
happens  that  to  this  day  the  husbands  of  Moki  are 
generally  very  ugly  ;  but  one  thing  is  certain — they 
are  men. 

Reflect  on  these  things,  ye  young  ones  and 
youths. 

Thus  shortens  my  story. 


HOWTHE  COYOTE  JOINEDTHE  DANCE 
OF  THE  BURROWING-OWLS 

YOU  may  know  the  country  that  lies  south  of  the 
valley  in  which  our  town  stands.  You  travel 
along  the  trail  which  winds  round  the  hill  our  an 
cients  called  Ishana-ta&yapon, — which  means  the 
Hill  of  Grease,  for  the  rocks  sometimes  shine  in  the 
light  of  the  sun  at  evening,  and  it  is  said  that  strange 
things  occurred  there  in  the  days  of  the  ancients, 
which  makes  them  thus  to  shine,  while  rocks  of  the 
kind  in  other  places  do  not, — you  travel  on  up  this 
trail,  crossing  over  the  arroyos  and  foot-hills  of  the 
great  mesa  called  Middle  Mountain,  until  you  come 
to  the  foot  of  the  cliffs.  Then  you  climb  up  back 
and  forth,  winding  round  and  round,  until  you  reach 
the  top  of  the  mountain,  which  is  as  flat  as  the  floor 
of  a  house,  merely  being  here  and  there  traversed 
by  small  valleys  covered  with  pinon  and  cedar,  and 
threaded  by  trails  made  not  only  by  the  feet  of  our 
people  but  by  deer  and  other  animals.  And  so  you 
go  on  and  on,  until,  hardly  knowing  it,  you  have 
descended  from  the  top  of  Middle  Mountain,  and 
found  yourself  in  a  wide  plain  covered  with  grass, 
and  here  and  there  clumps  of  trees.  Beyond  this 
valley  is  an  elevated  sandy  plain,  rather  sunken  in 
the  middle,  so  that  when  it  rains  the  water  filters 
down  into  the  soil  of  the  depressed  portion  (which 
is  wide  enough  to  be  a  country  in  itself)  and 

203 


204  Zufti  Folk  Tales 

nourishes  the  grasses  there;  so  that  most  of  the 
year  they  grow  green  and  sweet. 

Now,  a  long,  long  time  ago,  in  this  valley  or 
basin  there  lived  a  village  of  Prairie-dogs,  on  fairly 
peaceable  terms  with  Rattlesnakes,  Adders,  Chame 
leons,  Horned-toads,  and  Burrowing-owls.  With 
the  Owls  they  were  especially  friendly,  looking  at 
them  as  creatures  of  great  gravity  and  sanctity. 
For  this  reason  these  Prairie-dogs  and  their  com 
panions  never  disturbed  the  councils  or  ceremonies 
of  the  Burrowing-owls,  but  treated  them  most  re 
spectfully,  keeping  at  a  distance  from  them  when 
their  dances  were  going  on. 

It  chanced  one  day  that  the  Burrowing-owls  were 
having  a  great  dance  all  to  themselves,  rather  early 
in  the  morning.  The  dance  they  were  engaged  in 
Hvas  one  peculiarly  prized  by  them,  requiring  no 
little  dexterity  in  its  execution.  Each  dancer, 
young  man  or  maiden,  carried  upon  his  or  her  head 
a  bowl  of  foam,  and  though  their  legs  were  crooked 
and  their  motions  disjointed,  they  danced  to  the 
whistling  of  some  and  the  clapping  beaks  of  others, 
in  perfect  unison,  and  with  such  dexterity  that  they 
never  spilled  a  speck  of  the  foam  on  their  sleek 
mantles  of  dun-black  feather-work. 

It  chanced  this  morning  of  the  Foam-dance  that 
a  Coyote  was  nosing  about  for  Grasshoppers  and 
Prairie-dogs.  So  quite  naturally  he  was  prowling 
around  the  by-streets  in  the  borders  of  the  Prairie- 
dog  town.  His  house  where  he  lived  with  his  old 
grandmother  stood  back  to  the  westward,  just  over 
the  elevations  that  bounded  Sunken  Country,  among 


The  Dance  of  the  Burrowing-Owls      205 

the  rocks.  He  heard  the  click-clack  of  the  musi 
cians  and  their  shrill,  funny  little  song : 

"  I  yami  hota  utchu  tchapikya, 

Tokos  !  tokos  !  tokos  !  tokos  !  " 

So  he  pricked  up  his  ears,  and  lifting  his  tail,  trotted 
forward  toward  the  level  place  between  the  hillocks 
and  doorways  of  the  village,  where  the  Owls  were 
dancing  in  a  row.  He  looked  at  them  with  great 
curiosity,  squatting  on  his  haunches,  the  more  com 
posedly  to  observe  them.  Indeed,  he  became  so 
much  interested  and  amused  by  their  shambling 
motions  and  clever  evolutions,  that  he  could  no 
longer  contain  his  curiosity.  So  he  stepped  for 
ward,  with  a  smirk  and  a  nod  toward  the  old  master 
of  ceremonies,  and  said  :  "  My  father,  how  are  you 
and  your  children  these  many  days  ?  " 

"  Contented  and  happy,"  replied  the  old  Owl, 
turning  his  attention  to  the  dancing  again. 

"  Yes,  but  I  observe  you  are  dancing,"  said  the 
Coyote.  "  A  very  fine  dance,  upon  my  word ! 
Charming  !  Charming  !  And  why  should  you  be 
dancing  if  you  were  not  contented  and  happy,  to 
be  sure  ?  " 

"  We  are  dancing,"  responded  the  Owl,  "  both  for 
our  pleasure  and  for  the  good  of  the  town." 

4<  True,  true,"  replied  the  Coyote;  "but  what  's 
that  which  looks  like  foam  these  dancers  are  carry 
ing  on  their  heads,  and  why  do  they  dance  in  so 
limping  a  fashion  ?  " 

"  You  see,  my  friend,"  said  the  Owl,  turning 
toward  the  Coyote,  "we  hold  this  to  be  a  very 


2o6  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

sacred  performance — very  sacred  indeed.  Being 
such,  these  my  children  are  initiated  and  so  trained 
in  the  mysteries  of  the  sacred  society  of  which 
this  is  a  custom  that  they  can  do  very  strange 
things  in  the  observance  of  our  ceremonies.  You 
ask  what  it  is  that  looks  like  foam  they  are  balanc 
ing  on  their  heads.  Look  more  closely,  friend. 
Do  you  not  observe  that  it  is  their  own  grand 
mothers'  heads  they  have  on,  the  feathers  turned 
white  with  age  ?  " 

"  By  my  eyes  !"  exclaimed  the  Coyote,  blinking 
and  twitching  his  whiskers  ;  "  it  seems  so." 

"  And  you  ask  also  why  they  limp  as  they  dance," 
said  the  Owl.  "  Now,  this  limp  is  essential  to  the 
proper  performance  of  our  dance — so  essential,  in 
fact,  that  in  order  to  attain  to  it  these  my  children 
go  through  the  pain  of  having  their  legs  broken. 
Instead  of  losing  by  this,  they  gain  in  a  great  many 
ways.  Good  luck  always  follows  them.  They  are 
quite  as  spry  as  they  were  before,  and  enjoy,  more 
over,  the  distinction  of  performing  a  dance,  which 
no  other  people  or  creatures  in  the  world  are  capa 
ble  of ! " 

"  Dust  and  devils!"  ejaculated  the  Coyote. 
"  This  is  passing  strange.  A  most  admirable  dance, 
upon  my  word  !  Why,  every  bristle  on  my  body 
keeps  time  to  the  music  and  their  steps  !  Look 
here,  my  friend,  don't  you  think  that  I  could  learn 
that  dance?" 

44  Well,"  replied  the  old  Owl ;  "it  is  rather  hard 
to  learn,  and  you  have  n't  been  initiated,  you 
know  ;  but,  still,  if  you  are  determined  that  you 


The  Dance  of  the  Burrowing-Owls      207 

would  like  to  join  the  dance — by  the  way,  have 
you  a  grandmother  ?  " 

"Yes,  and  a  fine  old  woman  she  is,"  said  he, 
twitching  his  mouth  in  the  direction  of  his  house. 
"She  lives  there  with  me.  I  dare  say  she  is 
looking  after  my  breakfast  now." 

"  Very  well,"  continued  the  old  Owl,  "  if  you  care 
to  join  in  our  dance,  fulfill  the  conditions,  and  I 
think  we  can  receive  you  into  our  order."  And  he 
added,  aside  :  "  The  silly  fool ;  the  sneaking,  im 
pertinent  wretch  !  I  will  teach  him  to  be  sticking 
that  sharp  nose  of  his  into  other  people's  affairs ! " 

"  All  right !  All  right !  "  cried  the  Coyote,  ex 
citedly.  "  Will  it  last  long  ?  " 

"  Until  the  sun  is  so  bright  that  it  hurts  our 
eyes,"  said  the  Owl ;  "  a  long  time  yet." 

"  All  right !  All  right !  I  '11  be  back  in  a  little 
while,"  said  the  Coyote;  and,  switching  his  tail 
into  the  air,  away  he  ran  toward  his  home.  When 
he  came  to  the  house,  he  saw  his  old  grandmother 
on  the  roof,  which  was  a  rock  beside  his  hole,  gath 
ering  fur  from  some  skins  which  he  had  brought 
home,  to  make  up  a  bed  for  the  Coyote's  family. 

"  Ha,  my  blessed  grandmother  ! "  said  the  Coy 
ote,  "by  means  of  your  aid,  what  a  fine  thing  I 
shall  be  able  to  do  ! " 

The  old  woman  was  singing  to  herself  when  the 
Coyote  dashed  up  to  the  roof  where  she  was  sitting, 
and,  catching  up  a  convenient  leg-bone,  whacked 
her  over  the  pate  and  sawed  her  head  off  with  the 
teeth  of  a  deer.  All  bloody  and  soft  as  it  was,  he 
clapped  it  on  his  own  head  and  raised  himself  on 


208  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

his  hind-legs,  bracing  his  tail  against  the  ground, 
and  letting  his  paws  drop  with  the  toes  outspread, 
to  imitate  as  nearly  as  possible  the  drooping  wings 
of  the  dancing  Owls.  He  found  that  it  worked 
very  well ;  so,  descending  with  the  head  in  one  paw 
and  a  stone  in  the  other,  he  found  a  convenient 
sharp-edged  rock,  and,  laying  his  legs  across  it,  hit 
them  a  tremendous  crack  with  the  stone,  which 
broke  them,  to  be  sure,  into  splinters. 

"Beloved  Powers!  Oh!"  howled  the  Coyote. 
"  Oh-o-o-o-o  !  the  dance  may  be  a  fine  thing,  but 
the  initiation  is  anything  else  !  " 

However,  with  his  faith  unabated,  he  shook 
himself  together  and  got  up  to  walk.  But 
he  could  walk  only  with  his  paws  ;  his  hind-legs 
dragged  helplessly  behind  him.  Nevertheless, 
with  great  pain,  and  getting  weaker  and  weaker 
every  step  of  the  way,  he  made  what  haste  he 
could  back  to  the  Prairie-dog  town,  his  poor  old 
grandmother's  head  slung  over  his  shoulders. 

When  he  approached  the  dancers, — for  they 
were  still  dancing, — they  pretended  to  be  greatly 
delighted  with  their  proselyte,  and  greeted  him, 
notwithstanding  his  rueful  countenance,  with  many 
congratulatory  epithets,  mingled  with  very  proper 
and  warm  expressions  of  welcome.  The  Coyote 
looked  sick  and  groaned  occasionally  and  kept 
looking  around  at  his  feet,  as  though  he  would  like 
to  lick  them.  But  the  old  Owl  extended  his  wing 
and  cautioned  him  not  to  interfere  with  the  work 
ing  power  of  faith  in  this  essential  observance,  and 
invited  him  (with  a  hem  that  very  much  resem- 


The  Dance  of  the  Burrowing-Owls      209 

bled  a  suppressed  giggle),  to  join  in  their  dance. 
The  Coyote  smirked  and  bowed  and  tried  to  stand 
up  gracefully  on  his  stumps,  but  fell  over,  his  grand 
mother's  head  rolling  around  in  the  dirt.  He 
picked  up  the  grisly  head,  clapped  it  on  his  crown 
again  and  raised  himself,  and  with  many  a  howl, 
which  he  tried  in  vain  to  check,  began  to  prance 
around  ;  but  ere  long  tumbled  over  again.  The 
Burrowing-owls  were  filled  with  such  merriment  at 
his  discomfiture  that  they  laughed  until  they  spilled 
the  foam  all  down  their  backs  and  bosoms ;  and, 
with  a  parting  fling  at  the  Coyote  which  gave  him 
to  understand  that  he  had  made  a  fine  fool  of  him 
self,  and  would  know  better  than  to  pry  into  other 
people's  business  next  time,  skipped  away  to  a  safe 
distance  from  him. 

Then,  seeing  how  he  had  been  tricked,  the  Coy 
ote  fell  to  howling  and  clapping  his  thighs ;  and, 
catching  sight  of  his  poor  grandmother's  head,  all 
bloody  and  begrimed  with  dirt,  he  cried  out  in  grief 
and  anger  :  "  Alas  !  alas  !  that  it  should  have  come 
to  this  !  You  little  devils  !  I  '11  be  even  with  you  ! 
I  '11  smoke  you  out  of  your  holes." 

"  What  will  you  smoke  us  out  with  ?"  tauntingly 
asked  the  Burrowing-owls. 

"  Ha  !  you  '11  find  out.     With  yucca  ! " 

"  O  !  O  !  ha  !  ha  !  "  laughed  the  Owls.  "  That 
is  our  succotash  ! " 

"  Ah,  well !  I  '11  smoke  you  out !  "  yelled  the 
Coyote,  stung  by  their  taunts. 

"  What  with  ?  "  cried  the  Owls. 

"  Grease-weed." 


210  Zufii  Folk  Tales 

"  He,  ha  !  ho,  ho  !  We  make  our  mush-stew  of 
that ! " 

"  Ha !  but  I  '11  smoke  you  out,  nevertheless,  you 
little  beasts  ! " 

"  What  with  ?     What  with  ?  "  shouted  the  Owls. 

"  Yellow-top  weeds,"  said  he. 

"  Ha,  ha  !  All  right ;  smoke  away  !  We  make 
our  sweet  gruel  with  that,  you  fool ! " 

"  I  '11  fix  you  !  I  '11  smoke  you  out !  I  '11  suffo 
cate  the  very  last  one  of  you  ! " 

"  What  with  ?  What  with  ?"  shouted  the  Owls, 
skipping  around  on  their  crooked  feet. 

"  Pitch-pine,"  snarled  the  Coyote. 

This  frightened  the  Owls,  for  pitch-pine,  even  to 
this  day,  is  sickening  to  them.  Away  they  plunged 
into  their  holes,  pell-mell. 

Then  the  Coyote  looked  at  his  poor  old  grand 
mother's  begrimed  and  bloody  head,  and  cried  out 
—just  as  Coyotes  do  now  at  sunset,  I  suppose — 
"  Oh,  my  poor,  poor  grandmother !  So  this  is 
what  they  have  caused  me  to  do  to  you  ! "  And, 
tormented  both  by  his  grief  and  his  pain,  he  took 
up  the  head  of  his  grandmother  and  crawled  back 
as  best  he  could  to  his  house. 

When  he  arrived  there  he  managed  to  climb  up 
to  the  roof,  where  her  body  lay  stiff.  He  chafed 
her  legs  and  sides,  and  washed  the  blood  and  dirt 
from  her  head,  and  got  a  bit  of  sinew,  and  sewed 
her  head  to  her  body  as  carefully  as  he  could  and 
as  hastily.  Then  he  opened  her  mouth,  and,  put 
ting  his  muzzle  to  it,  blew  into  her  throat,  in  the 
hope  of  resuscitating  her  ;  but  the  wind  only  leaked 


The  Dance  of  the  Burrowing-Owls      211 

out  from  the  holes  in  her  neck,  and  she  gave  no 
signs  of  animation.  Then  the  Coyote  mixed  some 
pap  of  fine  toasted  meal  and  water  and  poured  it 
down  her  throat,  addressing  her  with  vehement  ex 
pressions  of  regret  at  what  he  had  done,  and  apol 
ogy  and  solicitation  that  she  should  not  mind,  as 
he  did  n't  mean  it,  and  imploring  her  to  revive. 
But  the  pap  only  trickled  out  between  the  stitches 
in  her  neck,  and  she  grew  colder  and  stiffer  all  the 
while  ;  so  that  at  last  the  Coyote  gave  it  up,  and, 
moaning,  he  betook  himself  to  a  near  clump  of 
pifion  trees,  intent  upon  vengeance  and  designing 
to  gather  pitch  with  which  to  smoke  the  Owls  to 
death.  But,  weakened  by  his  injuries,  and  filled 
with  grief  and  shame  and  mortification,  when  he 
got  there  he  could  only  lie  down. 

He  was  so  engrossed  in  howling  and  thinking  of 
his  woes  and  pains  that  a  Horned-toad,  who  saw 
him,  and  who  hated  him  because  of  the  insults  he 
had  frequently  suffered  from  him  and  his  kind, 
crawled  into  the  throat  of  the  beast  without  his  no 
ticing  it.  Presently  the  little  creature  struck  up  a 
song: 

"  Tsakina  muuu-ki 

lyami  Kushina  tsoiyakya 
Aisiwaiki  muki,  muki, 
Muuu  ka  !  " 

"  Ah-a-a-a-a-a,"  the  Coyote  was  groaning.  But 
when  he  heard  this  song,  apparently  far  off,  and 
yet  so  near,  he  felt  very  strangely  inside,  so  he 
thought  and  no  doubt  wondered  if  it  were  the  song 


212  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

of  some  musician.  At  any  rate,  he  lifted  his  head 
and  looked  all  around,  but  hearing  nothing,  lay 
down  again  and  bemoaned  his  fate. 

Then  the  Horned-toad  sang  again.  This  time 
the  Coyote  called  out  immediately,  and  the  Horned- 
toad  answered  :  "  Here  I  am."  But  look  as  he 
would,  the  Coyote  could  not  find  the  Toad.  So 
he  listened  for  the  song  again,  and  heard  it,  and 
asked  who  it  was  that  was  singing.  The  Horned- 
toad  replied  that  it  was  he.  But  still  the  Coyote 
could  not  find  him."  A  fourth  time  the  Horned- 
toad  sang,  and  the  Coyote  began  to  suspect  that  it 
was  under  him.  So  he  lifted  himself  to  see  ;  and 
one  of  the  spines  on  the  Horned-toad's  neck 
pricked  him,  and  at  the  same  time  the  little  fellow 
called  out :  "  Here  I  am,  you  idiot,  inside  of  you  ! 
I  came  upon  you  here,  and  being  a  medicine-man 
of  some  prominence,  I  thought  I  would  explore 
your  vitals  and  see  what  was  the  matter." 

11  By  the  souls  of  my  ancestors  !"  exclaimed  the 
Coyote,  "  be  careful  what  you  do  in  there  ! " 

The  Horned-toad  replied  by  laying  his  hand  on 
the  Coyote's  liver,  and  exclaiming  :  "  What  is  this 
I  feel?" 

"  Where  ?"  said  the  Coyote. 

"  Down  here." 

"  Merciful  daylight !  it  is  my  liver,  without 
which  no  one  can  have  solidity  of  any  kind,  or  a 
proper  vitality.  Be  very  careful  not  to  injure  that ; 
if  you  do,  I  shall  die  at  once,  and  what  will  become 
of  my  poor  wife  and  children  ?  " 

Then  the  Horned-toad  climbed  up  to  the  stomach 


The  Dance  of  the  Burrowing-Owls      213 

of  the  Coyote.  "What  is  this,  my  friend?"  said 
he,  feeling  the  sides  of  the  Coyote's  food-bag. 

"  What  is  it  like  ?"  asked  the  Coyote. 

"  Wrinkled,"  said  the  Horned-toad,  "  and  filled 
with  a  fearful  mess  of  stuff ! " 

"  Oh  !  mercy !  mercy  !  good  daylight !  My 
precious  friend,  be  very  careful !  That  is  the  very 
source  of  my  being — my  stomach  itself  !  " 

"  Very  well,"  said  the  Horned-toad.  Then  he 
moved  on  somewhat  farther  and  touched  the  heart 
of  the  Coyote,  which  startled  him  fearfully.  "  What 
is  this?"  cried  the  Horned-toad. 

"  Mercy,  mercy!  what  are  you  doing?"  ex 
claimed  the  Coyote. 

"  Nothing — feeling  of  your  vitals,"  was  the  reply. 
"What  is  it?" 

"  Oh,  what  is  it  like  ?  "  said  the  Coyote. 

"  Shaped  like  a  pine-nut,"  said  the  Horned-toad, 
"  as  nearly  as  I  can  make  out ;  it  keeps  leaping 
so." 

"  Leaping,  is  it  ?  "  howled  the  Coyote.  "  Mercy  ! 
my  friend,  get  away  from  there  !  That  is  the  very 
heart  of  my  being,  the  thread  that  ties  my  exist 
ence,  the  home  of  my  emotions,  and  my  knowledge 
of  daylight.  Go  away  from  there,  do,  I  pray  you  ! 
If  you  should  scratch  it  ever  so  little,  it  would  be 
the  death  of  me,  and  what  would  my  wife  and  chil 
dren  do?" 

"  Hey ! "  said  the  Horned-toad,  "  you  would  n't 
be  apt  to  insult  me  and  my  people  any  more  if  I 
touched  you  up  there  a  little,  would  you  ?  "  And  he 
hooked  one  of  his  horns  into  the  Coyote's  heart. 


214  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

The  Coyote  gave  one  gasp,  straightened  out  his 
limbs,  and  expired. 

"  Ha,  ha !  you  villain  !  Thus  would  you  have 
done  to  me,  had  you  found  the  chance  ;  thus  unto 
you "  —saying  which  he  found  his  way  out  and 
sought  the  nearest  water-pocket  he  could  find. 

So  you  see  from  this,  which  took  place  in  the 
days  of  the  ancients,  it  may  be  inferred  that  the  in 
stinct  of  meddling  with  everything  that  did  not 
concern  him,  and  making  a  universal  nuisance  of 
himself,  and  desiring  to  imitate  everything  that  he 
sees,  ready  to  jump  into  any  trap  that  is  laid  for 
him,  is  a  confirmed  instinct  with  the  Coyote,  for 
those  are  precisely  his  characteristics  today. 

Furthermore,  Coyotes  never  insult  Horned-toads 
nowadays,  and  they  keep  clear  of  Burrowing-owls. 
And  ever  since  then  the  Burrowing-owls  have  been 
speckled  with  gray  and  white  all  over  their  backs 
and  bosoms,  because  their  ancestors  spilled  foam 
over  themselves  in  laughing  at  the  silliness  of  the 
Coyote. 

Thus  shortens  my  story. 


THE  COYOTE  WHO  KILLED  THE 
DEMON   SIUIUKI  : 

OR  WHY  COYOTES   RUN  THEIR  NOSES  INTO  DEADFALLS 

IT  was  very  long  ago,  in  the  days  of  the  ancients. 
There  stood  a  village  in  the  canon  south  of 
Thunder  Mountain  where  the  Gods  of  Prey  all 
lived  with  their  sisters  and  mothers :  the  Mountain 
Lion,  the  great  Black  Bear,  the  Wildcat,  the  Gray 
Wolf,  the  Eagle,  and  even  the  Mole — all  the  Gods 
of  Prey  lived  there  together  with  their  mothers  and 
sisters.  Day  after  day  they  went  out  hunting,  for 
hunting  was  their  business  of  life,  and  they  were 
great  hunters. 

Now,  right  up  on  the  edge  of  Thunder  Mountain 
there  lived  a  spotted  Demon,  named  Siuiuki,  and 
whenever  the  people  of  the  towns  round  about 
went  hunting,  he  lay  in  wait  for  them  and  ate  them 
up. 

After  a  long  while  the  Gods  of  Prey  grew  dis 
contented,  and  they  said  to  one  another :  "  What 
in  the  world  can  we  do  ?  None  of  the  children  of 
men  ever  make  sacrifices  to  us,  for,  whenever  our 
children  among  men  go  out  hunting,  this  Demon 
who  lives  on  the  top  of  Thunder  Mountain  de 
stroys  them  and  eats  them  up.  What  in  the  world 
can  be  done  ?  " 

**  It  would  be  a  good  thing  if  we  could  kill  him," 
said  some  of  them. 

Now,  just  down  below  the  house  of  the  Demon, 

215 


216  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

in  Wolf  Canon,  lived  a  Coyote,  and  he  had  found 
out  where  the  Gods  of  Prey  lived,  and  whenever 
he  wanted  a  feast  of  sinew  and  gristle,  he  went  below 
their  houses  and  gnawed  at  the  bones  that  they  had 
thrown  away,  and  thus  it  happened  that  when  the 
gods  were  talking  together  in  this  way  he  was  near 
their  doorway  gnawing  a  bone,  and  he  heard  all 
they  said. 

"  Yes,"  said  one  or  two  of  the  others,  "  and  if 
anybody  will  go  and  kill  Siuiuki,  we  will  give  him 
our  sister  to  marry." 

"  Aha !  "  said  the  Coyote  to  himself.  "  Ha,  ha  ! " 
—and  he  dropped  the  bone  he  was  gnawing  and 
cut  off  for  home  as  fast  as  ever  he  could. 

Next  morning,  bright  and  early,  he  began  to  dig 
into  the  side  of  the  canon  below  the  Demon's 
home,  and  after  he  had  dug  a  great  hollow  in  the 
side  of  the  arroyo,  he  rolled  a  heavy  stone  into  it, 
and  found  another,  which  he  placed  beside  it. 
Then  he  brought  a  great  many  leg-bones  of  deer 
and  antelope.  Then  he  found  a  large  bowl  and 
put  a  lot  of  yellow  medicine-fluid  in  it,  and  placed 
it  beside  the  rock.  He  then  sat  down  and  began 
to  crack  the  leg-bones  with  the  two  stones  he  had 
brought  there. 

The  old  Demon  was  not  in  the  habit  of  rising 
very  early,  but  when  he  arose  that  morning  he 
came  out  and  sat  down  on  the  edge  of  the  cliff ; 
there  the  Coyote  was,  battering  away  at  the  bones 
and  pretending  to  bathe  his  own  lips  with  the 
medicine-fluid. 

"  I  wonder  what  in  the  world  that  little  sneak  is 


Coyote  who  Killed  the  Demon         217 

doing  down  there,"  said  the  old  Demon.  So  he 
put  on  his  war-badge  and  took  his  bow  and  arrows, 
as  though  he  were  going  out  to  hunt,  and  started 
down  to  where  the  Coyote  was. 

"  Hello  ! "  said  the  Coyote,  "  how  did  you  pass 
the  night  ?  " 

"  What  in  the  world  are  you  doing  here  ?  "  asked 
the  Demon. 

"Why,  don't  you  know?"  replied  the  Coyote. 
"  This  is  the  way  I  train  myself  for  running,  so  as 
to  catch  the  deer  ;  I  can  run  faster  than  any  deer 
in  the  country.  With  my  medicine,  here,  I  take  the 
swiftness  out  of  these  bones." 

"  Is  it  possible  ?"  said  the  old  Demon. 

"Of  course  it  is,"  said  the  Coyote.  "  There  is 
no  deer  that  can  run  away  from  me." 

"  Will  you  show  me  ?"  said  the  Demon,  eagerly. 

"  Why,  yes,  of  course  I  will ;  and  then  we  will 
go  hunting  together." 

"  Good,  good  !  "  said  the  old  Demon.  "  I  have  a 
hard  time  catching  deer  and  antelope." 

"Well,  now,  you  sit  down  right  over  there  and, 
watch  me,"  said  the  Coyote,  "  and  I  will  show  you 
all  about  it." 

So  he  laid  his  left  leg  over  the  rock,  and  then 
slily  took  an  antelope  bone  and  laid  it  by  the  side 
of  it.  Then  he  picked  up  a  large  stone  and 
struck  it  as  hard  as  ever  he  could  against  the 
bone.  Whack  !  went  the  stone,  and  it  split  the  bone 
into  splinters  ;  and  the  Coyote  pretended  that  it 
was  the  bone  of  his  own  leg. 

"  Aye  !  Ah  !  Oh  ! "  exclaimed  he.     "  But  then  it 


2i8  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

will  get  well  !  "  Still  crying  "  Oh  !  Ah  !  "  he  splashed 
the  leg  with  the  medicine-water  and  rubbed  it. 
"  Did  n't  I  tell  you  ?"  said  he,  "  it  is  all  right  now." 
And  then  away  he  went  and  ran  like  lightning 
round  and  round  on  the  plain  below,  and  rushed 
back  again.  "  Did  n't  I  tell  you  so  ?"  said  he. 

"  Fury  !  what  a  runner  it  makes  out  of  you,"  said 
the  old  Demon,  and  his  eyes  stuck  out  more  than 
ever.  "  Let  me  try  it  now." 

"  Hold  on,  hold  on,"  said  the  Coyote  ;  "  I  have 
not  half  finished  yet." 

So  he  repeated  the  experiment  with  his  other 
leg,  and  made  great  ado,  as  if  it  hurt  him  more 
than  ever.  But,  pretending  to  cure  himself  with 
the  medicine-water,  he  ran  round  and  round  on  the 
plain  below  so  fast  that  he  fairly  left  a  streak  of 
dust  behind  him. 

"  Why,  indeed,  you  are  one  of  the  fastest  runners 
I  ever  saw  ! "  said  the  Demon,  rubbing  his  eyes. 

Then  the  Coyote  repeated  the  experiment  first 
with  his  left  paw  and  then  with  his  right ;  and  the 
.last  time  he  ran  more  swiftly  than  before. 

"  Why,  do  you  mean  to  say  that  if  I  do  that  I 
can  run  as  fast  as  you  do  ?  "  said  the  Demon. 

"  Certainly,"  replied  the  Coyote.  "  But  it  will 
hurt  you." 

"Ho!  who  cares  for  a  little  hurt?"  said  the 
Demon. 

"  Oh  !  but  it  hurts  terribly,"  said  the  Coyote, 
"  and  I  am  afraid  you  won't  have  the  pluck  to  go 
through  with  it." 

"  Do  you  think  I  am  a  baby  ?  "  said  the  old  De- 


Coyote  who  Killed  the  Demon         219 

mon,  getting  up, — "  or  a  woman,  that  I  should  be 
afraid  to  pound  my  legs  and  arms  ?  " 

"  Well,  I  only  thought  I  'd  tell  you  how  much 
it  hurts,"  said  the  Coyote  ;  "  but  if  you  want  to  try 
it  yourself,  why,  go  ahead.  There  's  one  thing  cer 
tain  :  when  you  make  yourself  as  swift  as  I  am, 
there  's  no  deer  in  all  the  country  that  can  get 
away  from  us  two." 

"  What  shall  I  do  ?  "  said  the  Demon. 

"  You  just  sit  right  down  there,  and  I  '11  show 
you  how,"  said  the  Coyote.  So  the  Demon  sat 
down  by  the  rock. 

"  There,  now,  you  just  lay  your  leg  right  over 
that  stone  and  take  the  other  rock  and  strike  your 
leg  just  as  hard  as  you  can  ;  and  as  soon  as  you 
have  done,  bathe  it  in  the  medicine-water.  Then 
do  just  the  same  way  to  the  other." 

"  All  right,"  said  the  Demon.  So  he  laid  his  leg 
over  the  rock,  and  picking  up  the  other  stone, 
brought  it  down  with  might  and  main  across  his 
thigh — so  hard,  indeed,  that  he  crushed  the  bone 
into  splinters. 

"Oh,  my!  Oh,  my!  what  shall  I  do?"  shouted 
the  Demon. 

"  Be  patient,  be  patient ;  it  will  get  well,"  said 
the  Coyote,  and  he  splashed  it  with  the  medicine- 
fluid. 

Then,  picking  up  the  stone  again,  the  Demon  hit 
the  other  thigh  even  harder,  from  pain. 

"  It  will  get  well,  my  friend  ;  it  will  get  well," 
shouted  the  Coyote  ;  and  he  splashed  more  of  the 
medicine-water  on  the  two  wounded  legs. 


220  Zufti  Folk  Tales 

Then  the  Demon  picked  up  the  stone  once  more, 
and,  laying  his  left  arm  across  the  other  stone, 
pounded  that  also  until  it  was  broken. 

"  Hold  on  ;  let  me  bathe  it  for  you,"  said  the 
Coyote.  "  Does  it  hurt  ?  Oh,  well,  it  will  get 
well.  Just  wait  until  you  have  doctored  the  other 
arm,  and  then  in  a  few  minutes  you  will  be  all 
right." 

"  Oh,  dear  !  Oh,  dear  ! "  groaned  the  Demon. 
"  How  in  the  world  can  I  doctor  the  other  arm,  for 
my  left  arm  is  broken  ?  " 

"  Lay  it  across  the  rock,  my  friend,"  said  the 
Coyote,  "  and  I  '11  doctor  it  for  you." 

So  the  Demon  did  as  he  was  bidden,  and  the 
Coyote  brought  the  stone  down  with  might  and 
main  against  his  arm.  "  Have  patience,  my  friend, 
have  patience,"  said  he,  as  he  bathed  the  injured 
limb  with  more  of  the  medicine-water.  But  the 
Demon  only  groaned  and  howled,  and  rolled  over 
and  over  in  the  dust  with  pain. 

"  Ha,  ha  !  "  laughed  the  Coyote,  as  he  keeled  a 
somersault  over  the  rocks  and  ran  off  over  the 
plain.  "  How  do  you  feel  now,  old  man  ?" 

"  But  it  hurts  !  It  hurts  !  "  cried  the  Demon. 
"  I  shall  never  get  well ;  it  will  kill  me  !  " 

"  Of  course  it  will,"  laughed  the  Coyote.  "  That 's 
just  what  I  wanted  it  to  do,  you  old  fool ! " 

So  the  old  Demon  lay  down  and  died  from  sheer 
pain. 

Then  the  Coyote  took  the  Demon's  knife  from 

him,   and,    cutting   open   his   breast,   tore    out    his 

1  heart,  wind-pipe,  and  all.     Then,  stealing  the  war- 


Coyote  who  Killed  the  Demon         221 

badge  that  the  Demon  had  worn,  he  cut  away  as  fast 
as  ever  he  could  for  the  home  of  the  Prey-gods. 
Before  noon  he  neared  their  house,  and,  just  as  he 
ran  up  into  the  plaza  in  front  of  it,  the  youngest 
sister  of  the  Prey-gods  came  out  to  hang  up  some 
meat  to  dry.  Now,  her  brothers  had  all  gone  hunt 
ing  ;  not  one  of  them  was  at  home. 

"  I  say,  wife,"  said  the  Coyote.     "  Wife  !  Wife  ! " 

"  Humph  !  "  said  the  girl.  "  Impertinent  scoun 
drel  !  I  wonder  where  he  is  and  who  he  is  that 
has  the  impudence  to  call  me  his  wife,  when  he 
knows  that  I  have  never  been  married  ! " 

"  Wife  !  Wife  ! "  shouted  the  Coyote  again. 

"  Away  with  you,  you  shameless  rascal ! "  cried 
the  girl,  in  indignation.  Then  she  looked  around 
and  spied  the  Coyote  sitting  there  on  the  ash-heap, 
with  his  nose  in  the  air,  as  though  he  were  the 
biggest  fellow  in  the  world. 

"  Clear  out,  you  wretch  ! "  cried  the  girl. 

"  Softly,  softly,"  replied  the  Coyote.  "  Do  you 
remember  what  your  brothers  said  last  night  ?  " 

"What  was  that?"  said  the  girl. 

"  Why,  whoever  would  kill  the  speckled  Demon, 
they  declared,  should  have  you  for  his  wife." 

"  Well,  what  of  that  ?  "  said  the  girl. 

"  Oh,  nothing,"  replied  the  Coyote,  "  only  I  've 
killed  him  !  "  And,  holding  up  the  Demon's  heart 
and  war-badge,  he  stuck  his  nose  in  the  air  again. 

So  the  poor  girl  said  not  a  word,  but  sat  there 
until  the  Coyote  called  out :  "  I  say,  wife,  come 
down  and  take  me  up  ;  I  can't  climb  the  ladders." 

So  the  poor  girl  went  down  the  ladder,  took  her 


222  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

foul-smelling  husband  in  her  arms,  and  climbed  up 
with  him. 

"  Now,  take  me  in  with  you,"  said  the  Coyote. 
So  she  did  as  she  was  bidden.  Then  she  was 
about  to  mix  some  dough,  but  the  Coyote  kept 
getting  in  her  way. 

"  Get  out  of  the  way  a  minute,  won't  you  ? "  said 
the  girl,  "  until  I  cook  something  for  you." 

11  I  want  you  to  come  and  sit  down  with  me," 
said  the  Coyote,  "  and  let  me  kiss  you,  for  you 
know  you  are  my  wife,  now."  So  the  poor  girl  had 
to  submit  to  the  ill-smelling  creature's  embraces. 

Presently  along  came  her  brother,  the  Gray 
Wolf,  but  he  was  a  very  good-natured  sort  of  fellow  ; 
so  he  received  the  Coyote  pleasantly.  Then  along 
came  the  Bear,  with  a  big  antelope  over  his  shoulder; 
but  he  did  n't  say  anything,  for  he  was  a  lazy,  good- 
natured  fellow.  Then  presently  the  other  brothers 
came  in,  one  by  one  ;  but  the  Mountain  Lion  was 
so  late  in  returning  that  they  began  to  look  anx 
iously  out  for  him.  When  they  saw  him  coming 
from  the  north  with  more  meat  and  more  game 
than  all  the  others  together  had  brought,  he  was 
evidently  not  in  good  humor,  for  as  he  approached 
the  house  he  exclaimed,  with  a  howl :  "ffu-Au-ya  !  " 

"  There  he  goes  again,"  said  the  brothers  and 
sisters,  all  in  a  chorus.  "  Always  out  of  temper  with 
something." 

"Hu-hu-ya!"  exclaimed  the  Mountain  Lion 
again,  louder  than  before.  And,  as  he  mounted 
the  ladder,  he  exclaimed  for  a  third  time  :  "  Hu-hu- 
ya  !  "  and,  throwing  his  meat  down,  entered  swear- 


Coyote  who  Killed  the  Demon         223 

ing  and  growling  until  his  brothers  were  ashamed  of 
him,  and  told  him  he  had  better  behave  himself. 

"  Come  and  eat,"  said  the  sister,  as  she  brought 
a  bowl  of  meat  and  put  it  on  the  floor. 

"Hu-hu-ya!"  again  exclaimed  the  Mountain 
Lion,  as  he  came  nearer  and  sat  down  to  eat. 
"  What  in  the  world  is  the  matter  with  you,  sister  ? 
You  smell  just  like  a  Coyote.  Hu-hu-ya  !  " 

"  Have  you  no  more  decency  than  to  come  home 
and  scold  your  sister  in  that  way?"  exclaimed  the 
Wolf.  "  I  'in  disgusted  with  you." 

"  Hu-hu-ya  !  "  reiterated  the  Mountain  Lion. 

Now,  when  the  Coyote  had  heard  the  Mountain 
Lion  coming,  he  had  sneaked  off  into  a  corner ; 
but  he  stuck  his  sharp  nose  out,  and  the  Mountain 
Lion  espied  it.  "Hu-hu-ya!"  said  he.  "  Sling 
that  bad-smelling  beast  out  of  the  house !  Kick 
him  out ! "  cried  the  old  man,  with  a  growl.  So 
the  sister,  fearing  that  her  brother  would  eat  her 
husband  up,  took  the  Coyote  in  her  arms  and  car 
ried  him  into  another  room. 

"  Now,  stay  there  and  keep  still,  for  brother  is 
very  cross ;  but  then  he  is  always  cross  if  things 
don't  go  right,"  she  said. 

So  when  evening  came  her  brothers  began   to 

discuss  where    they  would   go    hunting   the    next 

day  ;  and  the   Coyote,  who  was  listening  at   the 

door,   heard    them.      So    he    called    out :  "  Wife  ! 

Wife!" 

"  Shom-me  !  "  remarked  old  Long  Tail.  "  Shut 
up,  you  dirty  whelp."  And  as  the  sister  arose  to 
go  to  see  what  her  husband  wanted,  the  Mountain 


224  Zufti  Folk  Tales 

Lion  remarked:  "You  had  better  sling  that  foul- 
smelling  cub  of  yours  over  the  roof." 

No  sooner  had  the  girl  entered  than  the  Coyote 
began  to  brag  what  a  runner  he  was,  and  to  cut 
around  at  a  great  rate. 

"  Shom-me  !  "  exclaimed  the  Mountain  Lion  again. 
"  A  Coyote  always  will  make  a  Coyote  of  himself, 
foul-smelling  wretch  !  Hu-hu-ya  !  " 

"  Shut  up,  and  behave  yourself ! "  cried  the  Wolf. 
"  Don't  you  know  any  better  than  to  talk  about  your 
brother-in-law  in  that  way  ?  "  But  neither  the  Coyote 
nor  the  girl  could  sleep  that  night  for  the  growlings 
and  roarings  of  their  big  brother,  the  Long  Tail. 

When  the  brothers  began  to  prepare  for  the 
hunt  the  next  morning,  out  came  the  Coyote  all 
ready  to  accompany  them.  "You,  you?"  said  the 
Mountain  Lion.  "  You  going  to  hunt  with  us  ? 
You  conceited  sneak  ! " 

"  Let  him  go  if  he  wants  to,"  said  the  Wolf. 

"Hu-hu-ya!  Fine  company!"  remarked  the 
Mountain  Lion.  "  If  you  fellows  want  to  walk 
with  him,  you  may.  There  's  one  thing  certain, 
I  '11  not  be  seen  in  his  company,"  and  away  strode 
the  old  fellow,  lashing  his  tail  and  growling  as  he 
went.  So  the  Coyote,  taking  a  luncheon  of  dried 
meat  that  his  wife  put  up  for  him,  sneaked  along 
behind  with  his  tail  dragging  in  the  dust.  Finally 
they  all  reached  the  mountain  where  they  intended 
to  hunt,  and  soon  the  Mountain  Lion  and  the  Bear 
started  out  to  drive  in  a  herd  of  antelope  that 
they  had  scented  in  the  distance.  Presently  along 
rushed  the  leaders  of  the  herd. 


Coyote  who  Killed  the  Demon         225 

"  Now,  then,  I  '11  show  your  cross  old  brother 
whether  I  can  hunt  or  not,"  cried  the  Coyote,  and 
away  he  rushed  right  into  the  herd  of  antelope  and 
deer  before  anyone  could  restrain  him,  Of  course 
he  made  a  Coyote  of  himself,  and  away  went  the 
deer  in  all  directions.  Nevertheless,  the  brothers, 
who  were  great  hunters,  succeeded  in  catching  a 
few  of  them ;  and,  just  as  they  sat  down  to  lunch, 
the  Mountain  Lion  returned  with  a  big  elk  on  his 
shoulders. 

"  Where  is  our  sweet-scented  brother-in-law  ?  "  he 
asked. 

"  Nobody  knows,"  replied  they.  "He  rushed  off 
after  the  deer  and  antelope,  and  that  was  the  last 
of  him." 

"  Of  course  the  beast  will  make  a  Coyote  of 
himself.  But  he  can  go  till  he  can  go  no  longer, 
for  all  I  care,"  added  the  Mountain  Lion,  as  he  sat 
down  to  eat. 

Presently  along  came  the  Coyote. 

"Where's  your  game,  my  fine  hunter?"  asked 
the  Mountain  Lion. 

"  They  all  got  away  from  me,"  whined  the  Coyote. 

"  Of  course  they  did,  you  fool ! "  sneered  the 
Mountain  Lion.  "  The  best  thing  that  you  can  do 
is  to  go  home  and  see  your  wife.  Here,  take  this 
meat  to  sister,"  said  he,  slinging  him  a  haunch  of 
venison. 

"  Where  's  the  road  ?"  asked  the  Coyote. 

"  Well,"  said  the  Wolf,  "  follow  that  path  right 
over  there  until  you  come  to  where  it  forks ;  then 
be  sure  to  take  the  right-hand  trail,  for  if  you 


226  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

follow  the  left-hand  trail  it  will  lead  you  away  from 
home  and  into  trouble." 

"  Which  trail  did  you  say  ?  "  cried  the  Coyote. 

"  Shom-me  !  "  again  exclaimed  the  Mountain  Lion. 

"Oh,  yes,"  hastily  added  the  Coyote;  "the 
right-hand  trail.  No,  the  left-hand  trail." 

"Just  what  you  might  expect,"  growled  the 
Mountain  Lion.  "  Already  the  fool  has  forgotten 
what  you  told  him.  Well,  as  for  me,  he  can  go  on 
the  left-hand  trail  if  he  wants  to,  and  the  farther  he 
goes  the  better." 

"  Now,  be  sure  and  take  the  right-hand  trail," 
called  the  Wolf,  as  the  Coyote  started. 

"  I  know,  I  know,"  cried  the  Coyote  ;  and  away 
he  went  with  his  heavy  haunch  of  venison  slung 
over  his  shoulder.  After  a  while  he  came  to  the 
fork  in  the  trail.  "  Let  me  see,"  said  he,  "  it 's  the 
left-hand  trail,  it  seems  to  me.  No,  the  right-hand 
trail.  Well,  I  declare,  I  Ve  forgotten  !  Perhaps  it 
is  the  right-hand  trail,  and  maybe  it  is  the  left- 
hand  trail.  Yes,  it  is  the  left-hand  trail.  Now 
I  'm  certain."  And,  picking  up  his  haunch  of  veni 
son,  away  he  trotted  along  the  left-hand  trail. 
Presently  he  came  to  a  steep  cliff  and  began  to 
climb  it.  But  he  had  no  sooner  reached  the  middle 
than  a  lot  of  Chimney-swallows  began  to  fly  around 
his  head  and  pick  at  his  eyes,  and  slap  him  on  the 
nose  with  their  wings. 

"  Oh,  dear  !  oh,  dear  ! "  exclaimed  the  Coyote. 
"  Aye  !  aye  ! "  and  he  bobbed  his  head  from  side  to 
side  to  dodge  the  Swallows,  until  he  missed  his 
footing,  and  down  he  tumbled,  heels  over  head, — 


Coyote  who  Killed  the  Demon         227 

meat,  Coyote,  and  all, — until  he  struck  a  great  pile 
of  rocks  below,  and  was  dashed  to  pieces. 

That  was  the  end  of  the  Coyote  ;  but  not  of  my 
story. 

Now,  the  brothers  went  on  hunting  again.  Then, 
one  by  one,  they  returned  home.  As  before,  the 
Mountain  Lion  came  in  last  of  all.  He  smelt  all 
about  the  room.  "  Whew  !  "  exclaimed  he.  "  It  still 
smells  here  as  if  twenty  Coyotes  had  been  around. 
But  it  seems  to  me  that  our  fine  brother-in-law  is  n't 
anywhere  about." 

"  No,"  responded  the  rest,  with  troubled  looks  on 
their  faces.  "  Nobody  has  seen  anything  of  him 
yet." 

"Shorn — m-m!"  remarked  the  Mountain  Lion 
again.  "  Did  n't  I  tell  you,  brothers,  that  he  was  a 
fool  and  would  forget  your  directions  ?  I  say 
I  told  you  that  before  he  started.  Well,  for  my 
part,  I  hope  the  beast  has  gone  so  far  that  he 
will  never  return,"  and  with  that  he  ate  his  supper. 

When  supper  was  over,  the  sister  said  :  "  Come, 
brothers,  let 's  go  and  hunt  for  my  husband." 

At  first  the  Mountain  Lion  growled  and  swore  a 
great  deal ;  but  at  last  he  consented  to  go.  When 
they  came  to  where  the  trails  forked,  there  were  the 
tracks  of  the  Coyote  on  the  left-hand  trail. 

"  The  idiot !  "  exclaimed  the  Mountain  Lion.  "  I 
hope  he  has  fallen  off  the  cliff  and  broken  every 
bone  in  his  body  ! " 

When  at  last  the  party  reached  the  mountain, 
sure  enough,  there  lay  the  body  of  the  Coyote, 
with  not  a  whole  bone  in  him  except  his  head. 


228  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

"  Good  enough  for  you,"  growled  the  Mountain 
Lion,  as  he  picked  up  a  great  stone  and,  tu-um  / 
threw  it  down  with  all  his  strength  upon  the  head 
of  the  Coyote. 

That 's  what  happened  a  great  while  ago.  And 
for  that  reason  whenever  a  Coyote  sees  a  bait  of 
meat  inside  of  a  stone  deadfall  he  is  sure  to  stick 
his  nose  in  and  get  his  head  mashed  for  his  pains. 

Thus  shortens  my  story. 


HOW  THE  COYOTES  TRIED  TO  STEAL 

THE    CHILDREN    OF    THE 

SACRED   DANCE 

IN  the  times  of  the  ancients,  when  our  people 
lived  in  various  places  about  the  valley  of  Zuni 
where  ruins  now  stand,  it  is  said  that  an  old  Coyote 
lived  in  Cedar  Canon  with  his  family,  which  included 
a  fine  litter  of  pups.  It  is  also  said  that  at  this  time 
there  lived  on  the  crest  of  Thunder  Mountain,  back 
of  the  broad  rock  column  or  pinnacle  which  guards 
its  western  portion,  one  of  the  gods  of  the  Sacred 
Drama  Dance  (Kdkd)1,  named  K'yamakwe,  with  his 
children,  many  in  number  and  altogether  like  him 
self. 

1  The  Kdkd,  or  Sacred  Drama  Dance,  is  represented  by  a  great  variety 
of  masks  and  costumes  worn  by  Zuni  dancers  during  the  performance  of 
this  remarkable  dramatic  ceremony.  Undoubtedly  many  of  the  traditional 
characters  of  the  Sacred  Drama  thus  represented  are  conventionalizations 
of  the  mythic  conceptions  or  personifications  of  animal  attributes.  There 
fore  many  of  these  characters  partake  at  once  of  the  characteristics,  in  ap 
pearance  as-  well  as  in  other  ways,  of  animals  and  men.  The  example  in 
point  is  a  good  illustration  of  this.  The  K'yamakwe  are  supposed  to  have 
been  a  most  wonderful  and  powerful  tribe  of  demi-gods,  inhabiting  a  great 
valley  and  range  of  mesas  some  forty  miles  south  of  Zuni.  Their  powers 
over  the  atmospheric  phenomena  of  nature  and  over  all  the  herbivorous  ani 
mals  are  supposed  to  have  been  absolute.  Their  attitude  toward  man  was 
at  times  inimical,  at  times  friendly  or  beneficent.  Such  a  relationship,  con 
trolled  simply  by  either  laudatory  or  propitiatory  worship,  was  supposed  to 
hold  spiritually,  still,  between  these  and  other  beings  represented  in  the 
Sacred  Drama  and  men.  It  is  believed  that  through  the  power  of  breath 
communicated  by  these  ancient  gods  to  men,  from  one  man  to  another  man, 
and  thus  from  generation  to  generation,  an  actual  connection  has  been  kept 
up  between  initiated  members  of  the  KdkA  drama  and  these  original  demi 
god  characters  which  it  represents  ;  so  that  when  a  member  is  properly 
dressed  in  the  costume  of  any  one  of  these  characters,  a  ceremony  (the 

22Q 


230  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

One  day  the  old  Coyote  of  Cedar  Canon  went 
out  hunting,  and  as  he  was  prowling  around  among 
the  sage-bushes  below  Thunder  Mountain,  he  heard 
the  clang  and  rattle  and  the  shrill  cries  of  the 
K'yamakwe.  He  pricked  up  his  ears,  stuck  his 
nose  into  the  air,  sniffed  about  and  looked  all 
around,  and  presently  discovered  the  K'yamakwe 
children  running  rapidly  back  and  forth  on  the  very 
edge  of  the  mountain. 

"  Delight  of  my  senses,  what  pretty  creatures 
they  are  !  Good  for  me  ! "  he  piped,  in  a  jovial 

description  of  which  is  too  long  for  insertion  here)  accompanying  the  putting 
on  of  the  mask  is  supposed  not  only  to  place  him  en  rapport  spiritually  with 
the  character  he  represents,  but  even  to  possess  him  with  the  spirit  of  that 
character  or  demi-god.  He  is,  therefore,  so  long  as  he  remains  disguised  as 
one  of  these  demi-gods,  treated  as  if  he  were  actually  that  being  which  he 
personates.  One  of  the  K'yamakwe  is  represented  by  means  of  a  mask, 
round  and  smooth-headed,  with  little  black  eyes  turned  up  at  the  corners  so 
as  to  represent  a  segment  of  a  diminishing  spiral  ;  the  color  of  the  face  is 
green,  and  it  is  separated  from  the  rest  of  the  head  by  a  line  composed  of 
alternate  blocks  of  black  and  yellow  ;  the  crown  and  back  of  the  head  are 
snow-white  ;  and  the  ears  are  pendent  and  conical  in  shape,  being  composed 
of  husks  or  other  paper-like  material  ;  the  mouth  is  round,  and  furnished 
with  a  four-pointed  beak  of  husks,  which  extends  two  or  three  inches  out 
ward  and  spreads  at  the  end  like  the  petals  of  a  half-closed  lily  ;  round  the 
neck  is  a  collar  of  fox  fur,  and  covering  the  body  are  flowing  robes  of  sacred 
embroidered  mantles,  which  (notwithstanding  the  gay  ornaments  and  other 
appurtenances  of  the  costume)  have,  in  connection  with  the  expression  of  the 
mask,  a  spectral  effect ;  the  feet  are  encased  in  brilliantly  painted  mocca 
sins,  of  archaic  form,  and  the  wrists  laden  with  shell  bracelets  and  bow- 
guards.  When  the  long  file  of  these  strange  figures  making  up  the 
K'yamakwe  Drama  Dance  comes  in  from  the  southward  to  the  dance 
plazas  of  the  pueblo,  each  member  of  it  bears  on  his  back  freshly  slain  deer, 
antelope,  rabbits,  and  other  game  animals  or  portions  of  them  in  abundance, 
made  up  in  packages,  highly  decorated  with  tufts  of  evergreen,  and  painted 
toys  for  presentation  to  the  children.  In  one  hand  are  carried  bows  and 
arrows,  and  in  the  other  a  peculiar  rattle  or  clanger  made  of  the  shoulder- 
blades  of  deer.  The  wonder  expressed  by  the  coyote  as  the  story  goes  on, 
and  his  excessive  admiration  of  the  children  of  the  K'yamakwe  may  there 
fore  be  understood. 


Children  of  the  Sacred  Dance          231 

voice.  "  I  am  the  finder  of  children.  I  must  cap 
ture  the  little  fellows  tomorrow,  and  bring  them  up 
as  Coyotes  ought  to  be  brought  up.  Are  n't  they 
handsome,  though  ?" 

All  this  he  said  to  himself,  in  a  fit  of  conceit, 
with  his  nose  in  the  air  (presumptuous  cur!),  planning 
to  steal  the  children  of  a  god  !  He  hunted  no 
more  that  day,  but  ran  home  as  fast  as  he  could, 
and,  arriving  there,  he  said  :  "  Wife  !  Wife  !  O  wife  ! 
I  have  discovered  a  number  of  the  prettiest  waifs 
one  ever  saw.  They  are  children  of  the  Kdkd,  but 
what  matters  that  ?  They  are  there,  running  back 
and  forth  and  clanging  their  rattles  along  the  very 
edge  of  Thunder  Mountain.  I  mean  to  steal  them 
tomorrow,  every  one  of  them,  and  bring  them 
here  ! " 

"  Mercy  on  us ! "  exclaimed  the  old  Coyote's 
wife.  "  There  are  children  enough  and  to  spare 
already.  What  in  the  world  can  we  do  with  all  of 
them,  you  fool  ?  " 

"  But  they  are  pretty,"  said  the  Coyote.  "  Im 
mensely  fine  !  Every  Coyote  in  the  country  would 
envy  us  the  possession  of  them  ! " 

"  But  you  say  they  are  many,"  continued  the 
wife. 

"  Well,  yes,  a  good  many,"  said  the  Coyote. 

"  Well,  why  not  divide  them  among  our  asso 
ciated  clans?"  suggested  the  old  woman.  "You 
never  can  capture  them  alone  ;  it  is  rare  enough 
that  you  capture  anything  alone,  leave  out  the  chil 
dren  of  the  K'yamakwe.  Get  your  relatives  to  help 
you,  and  divide  the  children  amongst  them." 


232  Zufii  Folk  Tales 

"  Well,  now,  come  to  think  of  it,  it  is  a  good 
plan,"  said  the  Coyote,  with  his  nose  on  his  neck. 
"  If  I  get  up  this  expedition  I  '11  be  a  big  chief, 
won't  I?  Hurrah!  Here's  for  it! "he  shouted; 
and,  switching  his  tail  in  the  face  of  his  wife,  he 
shot  out  of  the  hole  and  ran  away  to  a  high  rock, 
where,  squatting  down  with  a  most  important  air 
and  his  nose  lifted  high,  he  cried  out : 

"  Auhiild-d-d-d! 

Su  Homaya-kwe  ! 
Su  Kemaya-kwe  ! 
Su  Ayalla-kwe  ! 
Su  Kutsuku-kwe  ! 

[Listen  ye  all ! 

Coyotes  of  the  Cedar-canon  tribe  ! 
Coyotes  of  the  Sunflower-stalk-plain  tribe  ! 
Coyotes  of  the  Lifted-stone-mountain  tribe  ! 
Coyotes  of  the  Place-of-rock-gullies  tribe  !] 

I  nave  instructions  for  you  this  day.  I  have 
found  waif  children  many — of  the  K'yamakwe,  the 
young.  I  would  steal  the  waif-children  many,  of 
the  K'yamakwe,  the  young.  I  would  steal  them 
tomorrow,  that  they  may  be  adopted  of  us.  I 
would  have  your  aid  in  the  stealing  of  the  K'yama 
kwe  young.  Listen  ye  all,  and  tomorrow  gather 
in  council.  Thus  much  I  instruct  ye  : 

"  Coyotes  of  the  Cedar-canon  tribe  ! 
Coyotes  of  the  Sunflower-stalk-plain  tribe  ! 
Coyotes  of  the  Lifted-stone-mountain  tribe  ! 
Coyotes  of  the  Place-of-rock-gullies  tribe  !  " 

It  was  growing  dark,  and  immediately  from  all 
quarters,  in  dark  places  under  the  canons  and 


Children  of  the  Sacred  Dance         233 

arroyos,  issued  answering  howls  and  howls.  You 
should  have  seen  that  crowd  of  Coyotes  the  next 
morning,  large  and  small,  old  and  young, — all  four 
tribes  gathered  together  in  the  plain  below  Thun 
der  Mountain ! 

When  they  had  all  assembled,  the  Coyote  who 
had  made  the  discovery  mounted  an  ant-hill,  sat 
down,  and,  lifting  his  paw,  was  about  to  give  direc 
tions  with  the  air  of  a  chief  when  an  ant  bit  him. 
He  lost  his  dignity,  but  resumed  it  again  on  the 
top  of  a  neighboring  rock.  Again  he  stuck  his 
nose  into  the  air  and  his  paw  out,  and  with  ridicu 
lous  assumption  informed  the  Coyotes  that  he  was 
chief  of  them  all  and  that  they  would  do  well  to  pay 
attention  to  his  directions.  He  then  showed  him 
self  much  more  skilful  than  you  might  have 
expected.  As  you  know,  the  cliff  of  Thunder 
Mountain  is  very  steep,  especially  that  part  back  of 
the  two  standing  rocks.  Well,  this  was  the  direc 
tion  of  the  Coyote : 

"  One  of  you  shall  place  himself  at  the  base  of 
the  mountain  ;  another  shall  climb  over  him,  and 
the  first  one  shall  grasp  his  tail ;  and  another  over 
them,  and  his  tail  shall  be  grasped  by  the  second, 
and  so  on  until  the  top  is  reached.  Hang  tight, 
my  friends,  every  one  of  you,  and  every  one  fall  in 
line.  Eructate  thoroughly  before  you  do  so.  If 
you  do  not,  we  may  be  in  a  pretty  mess ;  for,  sup 
posing  that  any  one  along  the  line  should  hiccough, 
he  would  lose  his  hold,  and  down  we  would  all  fall ! " 

So  the  Coyotes  all  at  once  began  to  curve  their 
necks  and  swell  themselves  up  and  strain  and 


234  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

wriggle  and  belch  wind  as  much  as  possible.  Then 
all  fell  into  a  line  and  grabbed  each  other's  tails, 
and  thus  they  extended  themselves  in  a  long  string 
up  the  very  face  of  Thunder  Mountain.  A  ridicu 
lous  little  pup  was  at  one  end  and  a  good,  strong, 
grizzled  old  fellow — no  other  than  the  chief  of  the 
party — at  the  other. 

"  Souls  of  my  ancestors  !  Hang  tight,  my  friends  ! 
Hang  tight!  Hang  tight!"  said  he,  when,  sud 
denly,  one  near  the  top,  in  the  agitation  of  the 
moment,  began  to  sneeze,  lost  his  hold,  and  down 
the  whole  string,  hundreds  of  them,  fell,  and  were 
completely  flattened  out  among  the  rocks. 

The  warrior  of  the  Kdkd — he  of  the  Long  Horn, 
with  frightful,  staring  eyes,  and  visage  blue  with 
rage, — bow  and  war-club  in  hand,  was  hastening 
from  the  sacred  lake  in  the  west  to  rescue  the  chil 
dren  of  the  K'yamakwe.  When  he  arrived  they 
had  been  rescued  already,  so,  after  storming  around 
a  little  and  mauling  such  of  the  Coyotes  as  were 
not  quite  dead,  he  set  to  skin  them  all. 

And  ever  since  then  you  will  observe  that  the 
dancers  of  the  Long  Horn  have  blue  faces,  and  when 
ever  they  arrive  in  our  pueblo  wear  collars  of  coy 
ote-skin  about  their  necks.  That  is  the  way  they 
got  them.  Before  that  they  had  no  collars.  It  is 
presumable  that  that  is  the  reason  why  they  bellow 
so  and  have  such  hoarse  voices,  having  previously 
taken  cold,  every  one  of  them,  for  the  want  of  fur 
collars. 

Thus  shortens  my  story. 


THE  COYOTE  AND  THE  BEETLE 

IN  remote  times,  after  our  ancients  were  settled  at 
Middle  Ant  Hill,  a  little  thing  occurred  which 
will  explain  a  great  deal. 

My  children,  you  have  doubtless  seen  Tip-beetles. 
They  run  around  on  smooth,  hard  patches  of 
ground  in  spring  time  and  early  summer,  kicking 
their  heels  into  the  air  and  thrusting  their  heads 
into  any  crack  or  hole  they  find. 

Well,  in  ancient  times,  on  the  pathway  leading 
around  to  Fat  Mountain,  there  was  one  of  these 
Beetles  running  about  in  all  directions  in  the  sun 
shine,  when  a  Coyote  came  trotting  along.  He 
pricked  up  his  ears,  lowered  his  nose,  arched  his 
neck,  and  stuck  out  his  paw  toward  the  Beetle. 
"  Ha  !"  said  he,  "  I  shall  bite  you  !" 

The  Beetle  immediately  stuck  his  head  down 
close  to  the  ground,  and,  lifting  one  of  his  antennae 
deprecatingly,  exclaimed  :  "  Hold  on  !  Hold  on, 
friend  !  Wait  a  bit,  for  the  love  of  mercy  !  I  hear 
something  very  strange  down  below  here ! " 

"  Humph  !  "  replied  the  Coyote.  "  What  do  you 
hear  ?  " 

"  Hush  !  hush  !"  cried  the  Beetle,  with  his  head 
still  to  the  ground.  "  Listen  ! " 

So  the  Coyote  drew  back  and  listened  most  at 
tentively.  By-and-by  the  Beetle  lifted  himself 
with  a  long  sigh  of  relief. 

235 


236  Zufii  Folk  Tales 

"Okwe!"  exclaimed  the  Coyote.  "  What  was 
going  on  ?  " 

"  The  Good  Soul  save  us  ! "  exclaimed  the  Beetle, 
with  a  shake  of  his  head.  "  I  heard  them  saying 
down  there  that  tomorrow  they  would  chase  away 
and  thoroughly  chastise  everybody  who  defiled  the 
public  trails  of  this  country,  and  they  are  making 
ready  as  fast  as  they  can  ! " 

"  Souls  of  my  ancestors  !  "  cried  the  Coyote.  "  I 
have  been  loitering  along  this  trail  this  very  morn 
ing,  and  have  defiled  it  repeatedly.  I  '11  cut ! "  And 
away  he  ran  as  fast  as  he  could  go. 

The  Beetle,  in  pure  exuberance  of  spirits,  turned 
somersaults  and  stuck  his  head  in  the  sand  until  it 
was  quite  turned. 

Thus  did  the  Beetle  in  the  days  of  the  ancients 
save  himself  from  being  bitten.  Consequently  the 
Tip-beetle  has  that  strange  habit  of  kicking  his 
heels  into  the  air  and  sticking  his  head  in  the  sand. 

Thus  shortens  my  story. 


HOW  THE  COYOTE  DANCED  WITH 
THE  BLACKBIRDS 

ONE  late  autumn  day  in  the  times  of  the  an 
cients,  a  large  council  of  Blackbirds  were 
gathered,  fluttering  and  chattering,  on  the  smooth, 
rocky  slopes  of  Gorge  Mountain,  northwest  of 
Zuni.  Like  ourselves,  these  birds,  as  you  are  well 
aware,  congregate  together  in  autumn  time,  when 
the  harvests  are  ripe,  to  indulge  in  their  festivities 
before  going  into  winter  quarters ;  only  we  do  not 
move  away,  while  they,  on  strong  wings  and  swift,  re 
treat  for  a  time  to  the  Land  of  Everlasting  Summer. 
Well,  on  this  particular  morning  they  were 
making  a  great  noise  and  having  a  grand  dance, 
and  this  was  the  way  of  it :  They  would  gather  in 
one  vast  flock,  somewhat  orderly  in  its  disposition, 
on  the  sloping  face  of  Gorge  Mountain, — the  older 
birds  in  front,  the  younger  ones  behind, — and  down 
the  slope,  chirping  and  fluttering,  they  would  hop, 
hop,  hop,  singing  : 

"  Ketchu,  Ketchu,  ontila,  ontila, 
Ketchu,  Ketchu,  ontila,  ontila! 
Ashokta  a  yd-a-laa  Ke-e-tchu, 
Ontila, 
Ontila!"— 

Blackbirds,  Blackbirds,  dance  away,  O,  dance  away,  O  ! 
Blackbirds,  Blackbirds,  dance  away,  O,  dance  away,  O  ! 
Down  the  Mountain  of  the  Gorges,  Blackbirds, 
Dance  away,  O  ! 
Dance  away,  O  !  — 
237 


238  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

and,  spreading  their  wings,  with  many  a  flutter, 
flurry,  and  scurry,  keh  keh, — keh  keh, — keh  keh, — 
keh  keh, — they  would  fly  away  into  the  air,  swirling 
off  in  a  dense,  black  flock,  circling  far  upward  and 
onward  ;  then,  wheeling  about  and  darting  down, 
they  would  dip  themselves  in  the  broad  spring 
which  flows  out  at  the  foot  of  the  mountain,  and  re 
turn  to  their  dancing  place  on  the  rocky  slopes. 

A  Coyote  was  out  hunting  (as  if  he  could  catch 
anything,  the  beast ! )  and  saw  them,  and  was  en 
raptured. 

"  You  beautiful  creatures  !  "  he  exclaimed.  "  You 
graceful  dancers  !  Delight  of  my  senses  !  How 
do  you  do  that,  anyway  ?  Could  n't  I  join  in  your 
dance — the  first  part  of  it,  at  least  ?  " 

"  Why,  certainly ;  yes,"  said  the  Blackbirds. 
"  We  are  quite  willing,"  the  masters  of  the  cere 
mony  said. 

"  Well,"  said  the  Coyote,  "  I  can  get  on  the 
slope  of  the  rocks  and  I  can  sing  the  song  with 
you  ;  but  I  suppose  that  when  you  leap  off  into  the 
air  I  shall  have  to  sit  there  patting  the  rock  with 
my  paw  and  my  tail  and  singing  while  you  have 
the  fun  of  it." 

"  It  may  be,"  said  an  old  Blackbird,  "  that  we 
can  fit  you  out  so  that  you  can  fly  with  us." 

"  Is  it  possible  !"  cried  the  Coyote,  "Then  by 
all  means  do  so.  By  the  Blessed  Immortals  ! 
Now,  if  I  am  only  able  to  circle  off  into  the  air 
like  you  fellows,  I  '11  be  the  biggest  Coyote  in  the 
world  ! " 

"  I  think  it  will  be  easy,"  resumed  the  old  Black- 


How  the  Coyote  Danced  239 

bird.  "  My  children,"  said  he,  "  you  are  many,  and 
many  are  your  wing-feathers.  Contribute  each  one 
of  you  a  feather  to  our  friend."  Thereupon  the 
Blackbirds,  each  one  of  them,  plucked  a  feather 
from  his  wing.  Unfortunately  they  all  plucked 
feathers  from  the  wings  on  the  same  side. 

"  Are  you  sure,  my  friend,"  continued  the  old 
Blackbird,  "that  you  are  willing  to  go  through  the 
operation  of  having  these  feathers  planted  in  your 
skin  ?  If  so,  I  think  we  can  fit  you  out." 

"Willing? — why,  of  course  I  am  willing."  And 
the  Coyote  held  up  one  of  his  arms,  and,  sitting 
down,  steadied  himself  with  his  tail.  Then  the 
Blackbirds  thrust  in  the  feathers  all  along  the  rear 
of  his  forelegs  and  down  the  sides  of  his  back, 
where  wings  ought  to  be.  It  hurt,  and  the  Coyote 
twitched  his  mustache  considerably  ;  but  he  said 
nothing.  When  it  was  done,  he  asked  :  "  Am  I 
ready  now  ?  " 

"Yes,"  said  the  Blackbirds ;  "  we  think  you  '11  do." 

So  they  formed  themselves  again  on  the  upper 

part  of  the  slope,  sang  their  songs,  and  hopped 

along  down  with  many  a  flutter,  flurry,  and  scurry, 

-  Keh  keh,  keh  keh,  keh  keh, —  and  away  they  flew 

off  into  the  air. 

The  Coyote,  somewhat  startled,  got  out  of  time, 
but  followed  bravely,  making  heavy  flops  ;  but,  as 
I  have  said  before,  the  wings  he  was  supplied  with 
were  composed  of  feathers  all  plucked  from  one 
side,  and  therefore  he  flew  slanting  and  spirally 
and  brought  up  with  a  whack,  which  nearly  knocked 
the  breath  out  of  him,  against  the  side  of  the 


240  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

mountain.  He  picked  himself  up,  and  shook  him 
self,  and  cried  out :  "  Hold  !  Hold  !  Hold  on,  hold 
on,  there ! "  to  the  fast-disappearing  Blackbirds. 
"  You  Ve  left  me  behind  !  " 

When  the  birds  returned  they  explained  :  "  Your 
wings  are  not  quite  thick  enough,  friend ;  and,  be 
sides,  even  a  young  Blackbird,  when  he  is  first 
learning  to  fly,  does  just  this  sort  of  thing  that  you 
have  been  doing — makes  bad  work  of  it." 

"  Sit  down  again,"  said  the  old  Blackbird.  And 
he  called  out  to  the  rest :  "  Get  feathers  from  your 
other  sides  also,  and  be  careful  to  select  a  few 
strong  feathers  from  the  tips  of  the  wings,  for  by 
means  of  these  we  cleave  the  air,  guide  our  move 
ments,  and  sustain  our  flight." 

So  the  Blackbirds  all  did  as  they  were  bidden, 
and  after  the  new  feathers  were  planted,  each  one 
plucked  out  a  tail-feather,  and  the  most  skilful  of 
the  Blackbirds  inserted  these  feathers  into  the  tip 
of  the  Coyote's  tail.  It  made  him  wince  and  "  yip  " 
occasionally  ;  but  he  stood  it  bravely  and  reared 
his  head  proudly,  thinking  all  the  while  :  "  What  a 
splendid  Coyote  I  shall  be !  Did  ever  anyone 
hear  of  a  Coyote  flying  ?  " 

The  procession  formed  again.  Down  the  slope 
they  went,  hopity-hop,  hopity-hop,  singing  their 
song,  and  away  they  flew  into  the  air,  the  Coyote 
in  their  midst.  Far  off  and  high  they  circled  and 
circled,  the  Coyote  cutting  more  eager  pranks  than 
any  of  the  rest.  Finally  they  returned,  dipped 
themselves  again  into  the  spring,  and  settled  on  the 
slopes  of  the  rocks. 


How  the  Coyote  Danced  241 

"  There,  now,"  cried  out  the  Coyote,  with  a  flutter 
of  his  feathery  tail,  "  I  can  fly  as  well  as  the  rest  of 
you." 

"  Indeed,  you  do  well ! "  exclaimed  the  Blackbirds. 
"Shall  we  try  it  again?" 

"  Oh,  yes  !  Oh,  yes  !  I  'm  a  little  winded,"  cried 
the  Coyote,  "  but  this  is  the  best  fun  I  ever  had." 

The  Blackbirds,  however,  were  not  satisfied  with 
their  companion.  They  found  him  less  sedate  than 
a  dancer  ought  to  be,  and,  moreover,  his  irregular 
cuttings-up  in  the  air  were  not  to  their  taste.  So 
the  old  ones  whispered  to  one  another :  "  This  fel 
low  is  a  fool,  and  we  must  pluck  him  when  he  gets 
into  the  air.  We  '11  fly  so  far  this  time  that  he  will 
get  a  little  tired  out  and  cry  to  us  for  assistance." 

The  procession  formed,  and  hopity-hop,  hopity- 
hop,  down  the  mountain  slope  they  went,  and  with 
many  a  flutter  and  flurry  flew  off  into  the  air.  The 
Coyote,  unable  to  restrain  himself,  even  took  the 
lead.  On  and  on  and  on  they  flew,  the  Blackbirds 
and  the  Coyote,  and  up  and  up  and  up,  and  they 
circled  round  and  round,  until  the  Coyote  found 
himself  missing  a  wing  stroke  occasionally  and  fall 
ing  out  of  line ;  and  he  cried  out :  "  Help  !  help, 
friends,  help  ! " 

"  All  right !  "  cried  the  Blackbirds.  "  Catch  hold 
of  his  wings ;  hold  him  up ! "  cried  the  old  ones. 
And  the  Blackbirds  flew  at  him ;  and  every  time 
they  caught  hold  of  him  (the  old  fool  all  the  time 
thinking  they  were  helping)  they  plucked  out  a 
feather,  until  at  last  the  feathers  had  become  so 
thin  that  he  began  to  fall,  and  he  fell  and  fell  and 

16 


242  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

fell, — flop,  flop,  flop,  he  went  through  the  air, — the 
few  feathers  left  in  his  forelegs  and  sides  and  the 
tip  of  his  tail  just  saving  him  from  being  utterly 
crushed  as  he  fell  with  a  thud  to  the  ground.  He 
lost  his  senses  completely,  and  lay  there  as  if  dead 
for  a  long  time.  When  he  awoke,  he  shook  his 
head  sadly,  and,  with  a  crestfallen  countenance  and 
tail  dragging  between  his  legs,  betook  himself  to 
his  home  over  the  mountains. 

The  agony  of  that  fall  had  been  so  great  and  the 
heat  of  his  exertions  so  excessive,  that  the  feathers 
left  in  his  forelegs  and  tail-tip  were  all  shrivelled  up 
into  little  ugly  black  fringes  of  hair.  His  descend 
ants  were  many. 

Therefore  you  will  often  meet  coyotes  to  this 
day  who  have  little  black  fringes  along  the  rear  of 
their  forelegs,  and  the  tips  of  their  tails  are  often 
black.  Thus  it  was  in  the  days  of  the  ancients. 

Thus  shortens  my  story. 


HOW  THE  TURTLE  OUT  HUNTING 
DUPED  THE  COYOTE 

IN  the  times  of  the  ancients,  long,  long  ago,  near 
the  Highflowing  River  on  the  Zuni  Mountains, 
there  lived  an  old  Turtle.  He  went  out  hunting, 
one  day,  and  by  means  of  his  ingenuity  killed  a 
large,  fine  deer.  When  he  had  thrown  the  deer  to 
the  ground,  he  had  no  means  of  skinning  it.  He 
sat  down  and  reflected,  scratching  the  lid  of  his  eye 
with  the  nail  of  his  hind  foot.  He  concluded  he 
would  have  to  go  hunting  for  a  flint-knife  ;  there 
fore  he  set  forth.  He  came  after  a  while  to  a  place 
where  old  buildings  had  stood.  Then  he  began  to 
hum  an  old  magic  song,  such  as,  it  is  said,  the 
ancients  sung  when  they  hunted  for  the  flint  of 
which  to  make  knives.  He  sang  in  this  way : 

"  Apatsinan  tse  wash, 
Apatsinan  tse  wash, 

Tsepa  !     Tsepa  !  " 

which    may  be  translated,   not  perhaps    correctly, 
but  well  enough  : 

Fire-striking  flint-stone,  oh,  make  yourself  known  ! 
Fire-striking  flint-stone,  oh,  make  yourself  known  ! 
Magically !  Magically  ! 

As  he  was  thus  crawling  about  and  singing,  a 
Coyote  running  through  the  woods  overheard  him. 
He  exclaimed:  "  Uh !  I  wonder  who  is  singing 
and  what  he  is  saying.  Ah,  he  is  hunting  for  a 

243 


244  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

flint-knife,  is  he  ? — evidently  somebody  who  has 
killed  a  deer  !  "  He  turned  back,  and  ran  over  to 
where  the  old  Turtle  was.  As  he  neared  him,  he 
cried  out :  "  Halloo,  friend  !  Did  n't  I  hear  you 
singing  ?  " 

"Yes,"  was  the  reply  of  the  Turtle. 

"  What  were  you  singing  ?  " 

"  Nothing  in  particular." 

"  Yes,  you  were,  too.    What  were  you  saying?" 

"  Nothing  in  particular,  I  tell  you ;  at  least, 
nothing  that  concerns  you." 

"  Yes,  you  were  saying  something,  and  this  is 
what  you  said."  And  so  the  Coyote,  who  could 
not  sing  the  song,  deliberately  repeated  the  words 
he  had  heard. 

"Well,  suppose  I  did  say  so;  what  of  that?" 
said  the  Turtle. 

"  Why,  you  were  hunting  for  a  flint-knife  ;  that 
is  why  you  said  what  you  did,"  replied  the  Coyote. 

"Well,  what  of  that?" 

"  What  did  you  want  the  flint-knife  for?" 

"  Nothing  in  particular,"  replied  the  Turtle. 

"  Yes,  you  did ;  you  wanted  it  for  something. 
What  was  it  ?  " 

"  Nothing  in  particular,  I  say,"  replied  the 
Turtle.  "  At  least,  nothing  that  concerns  you." 

"  Yes,  you  did  want  it  for  something,"  said  the 
Coyote,  "  and  I  know  what  it  was,  too." 

"Well,  what?"  asked  the  Turtle,  who  was  wax 
ing  rather  angry. 

"  You  wanted  it  to  skin  a  deer  with ;  that 's 
what  you  wanted  it  for.  Where  is  the  deer 


How  the  Turtle  Duped  the  Coyote    245 

now,  come  ?  You  have  killed  a  deer  and  I  know 
it.  Tell,  where  is  it." 

"  Well,  it  lies  over  yonder,"  replied  the  Turtle. 

"  Where  ?    Come,  let  us  go  ;   I  '11  help  you  skin  it." 

" 1  can  get  along  very  well  without  you,"  replied 
the  Turtle. 

"  What  if  I  do  help  you  a  little  ?  I  am  very 
hungry  this  morning,  and  would  like  to  lap  up  the 
blood." 

"  Well,  then,  come  along,  torment ! "  replied  the 
Turtle.  So,  finding  a  knife,  they  proceeded  to 
where  the  deer  was  lying. 

"  Let  me  hold  him  for  you,"  cried  the  Coyote. 
Whereupon  he  jumped  over  the  deer,  spread  out 
its  hind  legs,  and  placed  a  paw  on  each  of  them, 
holding  the  body  open  ;  and  thus  they  began  to 
skin  the  deer.  When  they  had  finished  this  work, 
the  Coyote  turned  to  the  Turtle  and  asked  :  "  How 
much  of  him  are  you  going  to  give  me  ?  " 

u  The  usual  parts  that  fall  to  anyone  who  comes 
along  when  the  hunter  is  skinning  a  deer,"  re 
plied  the  Turtle. 

"  What  parts  ?  "  eagerly  asked  the  Coyote. 

"  Stomach  and  liver,"  replied  the  Turtle,  briefly. 

"  1  won't  take  that,"  whined  the  Coyote.  "I  want 
you  to  give  me  half  of  the  deer." 

"  I  '11  do  no  such  thing,"  replied  the  Turtle.  "  I 
killed  the  deer ;  you  only  helped  to  skin  him,  and 
you  ought  to  be  satisfied  with  my  liberality  in  giv 
ing  you  the  stomach  and  liver  alone.  I  '11  throw  in 
a  little  fat,  to  be  sure,  and  some  of  the  intestines ; 
but  I  '11  give  you  no  more." 


246  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

"  Yes,  you  will,  too,"  snarled  the  Coyote,  show 
ing  his  teeth. 

"Oh,  will  I?"  replied  the  Turtle,  deliberately, 
hauling  in  one  or  two  of  his  flippers. 

"  Yes,  you  will ;  or  I  '11  simply  murder  you,  that 's 
all." 

The  Turtle  immediately  pulled  his  feet,  head,  and 
tail  in,  and  cried  :  "  I  tell  you,  I  '11  give  you  nothing 
but  the  stomach  and  liver  and  some  of  the  intes 
tines  of  this  deer  !  " 

"  Well,  then,  I  will  forthwith  kill  you  ! "  snapped 
the  Coyote,  and  he  made  a  grab  for  the  Turtle. 
Kopo !  sounded  his  teeth  as  they  struck  on  the 
hard  shell  of  the  Turtle  ;  and,  bite  as  he  would, 
the  Turtle  simply  slipped  out  of  his  mouth  every 
time  he  grabbed  him.  He  rolled  the  Turtle  over 
and  over  to  find  a  good  place  for  biting,  and  held 
him  between  his  paws  as  if  he  were  a  bone,  and 
gnawed  at  him  ;  but,  do  his  best,  kopo,  kopo  !  his 
teeth  kept  slipping  off  the  Turtle's  hard  shell.  At 
last  he  exclaimed,  rather  hotly:  "  There's  more 
than  one  way  of  killing  a  beast  like  you  !  "  So  he 
set  the  Turtle  up  on  end,  and,  catching  up  a  quan 
tity  of  sand,  stuffed  it  into  the  hole  where  the 
Turtle's  head  had  disappeared  and  tapped  it  well 
down  with  a  stick  until  he  had  completely  filled  the 
crevice.  "  There,  now,"  he  exclaimed,  with  a 
snicker  of  delight.  "  I  think  I  have  fixed  you  now, 
old  Hardshell,  and  served  you  right,  too,  you  old 
stingy-box  ! " — whereupon  he  whisked  away  to  the 
meat. 

The  Turtle  considered  it  best  to  die,  as  it  were  ; 


How  the  Turtle  Duped  the  Coyote    247 

but  he  listened  intently  to  what  was  going  on.  The 
Coyote  cut  up  the  deer  and  made  a  package  of  him 
in  his  own  skin.  Then  he  washed  the  stomach  in 
a  neighboring  brook  and  filled  it  with  choppings  of 
the  liver  and  kidneys,  and  fat  stripped  from  the  in 
testines,  and  clots  of  blood,  dashing  in  a  few  sprigs 
of  herbs  here  and  there.  Then,  according  to  the 
custom  of  hunters  in  all  times,  he  dug  an  oven  in 
the  ground  and  buried  the  stomach,  in  order  to 
make  a  baked  blood-pudding  of  it  while  he  was 
summoning  his  family  and  friends  to  help  him  take 
the  meat  home. 

The  Turtle  clawed  a  little  of  the  sand  away  from 
his  neck  and  peered  out  just  a  trifle.  He  heard 
the  Coyote  grunting  as  he  tried  to  lift  the  meat  in 
order  to  hang  it  on  a  branch  of  a  neighboring  pine 
tree.  He  was  just  exclaiming :  "  What  a  lucky 
fellow  I  arn  to  come  on  that  lame,  helpless  old 
wretch  and  get  all  this  meat  from  him  without  the 
trouble  of  hunting  for  it,  to  be  sure  !  Ah,  my 
dear  children,  my  fine  old  wife,  what  a  feast  we 
will  have  this  day  !"- —for  you  know  the  Coyote 
had  a  large  family  over  the  way, — he  wras  just 
exclaiming  this,  I  say,  when  the  Turtle  cried  out, 
faintly:  "  Natipa  !  " 

"  You  hard-coated  old  scoundrel !  You  ugly, 
crooked-legged  beast !  You  stingy-box !  "  snarled 
the  Coyote.  "  So  you  are  alive,  are  you  ? " 
Dropping  the  meat,  he  leaped  back  to  where  the 
Turtle  was  lying,  his  head  hauled  in  again,  and, 
jamming  every  crevice  full  of  sand,  made  it  hard 
and  firm.  Then,  hitting  the  Turtle  a  clip  with  the 


248  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

tip  of  his  nose,  he  sent  him  rolling  over  and  over 
like  a  flat,  round  stone  down  the  slope. 

"  This  is  fine  treatment  to  receive  from  the 
hands  of  such  a  sneaking  cur  as  that,"  thought  the 
Turtle.  "  I  think  I  will  keep  quiet  this  time  and 
let  him  do  as  he  pleases.  But  through  my  ingenu 
ity  I  killed  the  deer,  and  it  may  be  that  through 
ingenuity  I  can  keep  the  deer." 

So  the  Turtle  kept  perfectly  dead,  to  all  appear 
ances,  and  the  Coyote,  leaving  the  meat  hanging 
on  a  low  branch  of  a  tree  and  building  a  fire  over 
the  oven  he  had  excavated,  whisked  away  with  his 
tail  in  the  air  to  his  house  just  the  other  side  of  the 
mountain. 

When  he  arrived  there  he  cried  out :  "  Wife, 
wife  !  Children,  children  !  Come,  quick  !  Great 
news  !  Killed  an  enormous  deer  today.  I  have 
made  a  blood-pudding  in  his  stomach  and  buried 
it.  Let  us  go  and  have  a  feast ;  then  you  must 
help  me  bring  the  meat  home." 

Those  Coyotes  were  perfectly  wild.  The  cubs, 
half-grown,  with  their  tails  more  like  sticks  than 
brushes,  trembled  from  the  ends  of  their  toe-nails 
to  the  tips  of  their  stick-like  tails  ;  and  they  all 
set  off — the  old  ones  ahead,  the  young  ones  follow 
ing  single  file — as  fast  as  they  could  toward  the 
place  where  the  blood-pudding  was  buried. 

Now,  as  soon  as  the  old  Turtle  was  satisfied  that 
the  Coyote  had  left,  he  dug  the  sand  out  of  his 
collar  with  his  tough  claws,  and,  proceeding  to  the 
place  where  the  meat  hung,  first  hauled  it  up,  piece 
by  piece,  to  the  very  top  of  the  tree  ;  for  Turtles 


How  the  Turtle  Duped  the  Coyote    249 

have  claws,  you  know,  and  can  climb,  especially  if 
the  trunk  of  the  tree  leans  over,  as  that  one  did. 
Having  hauled  the  meat  to  the  very  topmost 
branches  of  the  tree,  and  tied  it  there  securely,  he 
descended  and  went  over  to  where  the  blood-pud 
ding  was  buried.  He  raked  the  embers  away  from 
it  and  pulled  it  out;  then  he  dragged  it  off  to  a 
neighboring  ant-hill  where  the  red  fire-ants  were 
congregated  in  great  numbers.  Immediately  they 
began  to  rush  out,  smelling  the  cooked  meat,  and 
the  Turtle,  untying  the  end  of  the  stomach,  chucked 
as  many  of  the  ants  as  he  could  into  it.  Then  he 
dragged  the  pudding  back  to  the  fire  and  replaced 
it  in  the  oven,  taking  care  that  the  coals  should  not 
get  near  it. 

He  had  barely  climbed  the  tree  again  and  nestled 
himself  on  his  bundle  of  meat,  when  along  came 
those  eager  Coyotes.  Everything  stuck  up  all 
over  them  with  anxiety  for  the  feast — their  hair, 
the  tips  of  their  ears,  and  the  points  of  their  tails  ; 
and  as  they  neared  the  place  and  smelt  the  blood 
and  the  cooked  meat,  they  began  to  sing  and  dance 
as  they  came  along,  and  this  was  what  they  sang : 

"  Na-ti  tsa,  na-ti  tsa  ! 

Tui-ya  si-si  na-ti  tsa  / 
Tui-ya  si-si  na-ti  tsa  ! 

Tui-ya  si- si  !    Tui-ya  si- si  !  " 

We  will  have  to  translate  this — which  is  so  old 
that  who  can  remember  exactly  what  it  means  ? — 
thus: 

Meat  of  the  deer,  meat  of  the  deer  ! 
Luscious  fruit-like  meat  of  the  deer  ! 


250  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

Luscious  fruit-like  meat  of  the  deer  ! 

Luscious  fruit-like  !    Luscious  fruit-like  ! 

No  sooner  had  they  neared  the  spot  where  they 
smelt  the  meat  than,  without  looking  around  at  all, 
they  made  a  bound  for  it.  But  the  old  Coyote 
grabbed  the  hindmost  of  the  young  ones  by  the  ear 
until  he  yelped,  shook  him,  and  called  out  to  all  the 
rest  :  "  Look  you  here  !  Eat  in  a  decent  manner 
or  you  will  burn  your  chops  off !  I  stuffed  the  pud 
ding  full  of  grease,  and  the  moment  you  puncture 
it,  the  grease,  being  hot,  will  fly  out  and  burn  you. 
Be  careful  and  dignified,  children.  There  is  plenty 
of  time,  and  you  shall  be  satisfied.  Don't  gorge 
at  the  first  helping  ! " 

But  the  moment  the  little  Coyotes  were  freed, 
they  made  a  grand  bounce  for  the  tempting  stomach, 
tearing  it  open,  and  grabbing  huge  mouthfuls.  It 
may  be  surmised  that  the  fire-ants  were  not  com 
fortable.  They  ran  all  over  the  lips  and  cheeks  of 
the  voracious  little  gormands  and  bit  them  until  they 
cried  out,  shaking  their  heads  and  rubbing  them  in 
the  sand  :  "  Atu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu  !  " 

"  There,  now,  did  n't  I  tell  you,  little  fools,  to  be 
careful  ?  It  was  the  grease  that  burnt  you.  Now 
I  hope  you  know  enough  to  eat  a  little  more  mod 
erately.  There 's  plenty  of  time  to  satisfy  your 
selves,  I  say,"  cried  the  old  Coyote,  sitting  down  on 
his  haunches. 

Then  the  little  cubs  and  the  old  woman  attacked 
the  delicacy  again.  "Atu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu!"  they 
exclaimed,  shaking  their  heads  and  flapping 
their  ears  ;  and  presently  they  all  went  away 


How  the  Turtle  Duped  the  Coyote    251 

and  sat  down,  observing  this  wonderful  hot 
pudding.1 

Then  the  Coyote  looked  around  and  observed 
that  the  meat  was  gone,  and,  following  the  grease 
and  blood  spots  up  the  tree  with  his  eye,  saw  in  the 
top  the  pack  of  meat  with  the  Turtle  calmly  reclin 
ing  upon  it  and  resting,  his  head  stretched  far  out 
on  his  hand.  The  Turtle  lifted  his  head  and  ex 
claimed  :  "  Pe-sa-las-ta-i-i-i-i!  " 

"  You  tough-hided  old  beast !  "  yelled  the  Coyote, 
in  an  ecstasy  of  rage  and  disappointment.  "  Throw 
down  some  of  that  meat,  now,  will  you  ?  I  killed 
that  deer ;  you  only  helped  me  skin  him  ;  and  here 
you  have  stolen  all  the  meat.  Wife!  Children! 
Didn't  I  kill  the  deer?"  he  cried,  turning  to  the 
rest. 

"  Certainly  you  did,  and  he 's  a  sneaking  old 
wretch  to  steal  it  from  you  ! "  they  exclaimed  in 
chorus,  looking  longingly  at  the  pack  of  meat  in 
the  top  of  the  tree. 

"Who  said  I  stole  the  meat  from  you?"  cried 
out  the  Turtle.  "  I  only  hauled  it  up  here  to  keep 
it  from  being  stolen,  you  villain  !  Scatter  your 
selves  out  to  catch  some^  of  it.  I  will  throw  as  fine 
a  pair  of  ribs  down  to  you  as  ever  you  saw.  There, 
now,  spread  yourselves  out  and  get  close  together. 
Ready  ? "  he  called,  as  the  Coyotes  lay  dow^n  on 
their  backs  side  by  side  and  stretched  their  paws  as 

1  It  may  be  well  to  explain  here  that  there  is  no  more  intensely  painful  or 
fiery  bite  known  than  the  bite  of  the  fire-ant  or  red  ant  of  the  Southwest 
and  the  tropics,  named,  in  Zuni,  halo.  Large  pimples  and  blisters  are 
raised  by  the  bite,  which  is  so  venomous,  moreover,  that  for  the  time  being 
it  poisons  the  blood  and  fills  every  vein  of  the  body  with  burning  sensations. 


252  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

high  as  they  could  eagerly  and  tremblingly  toward 
the  meat. 

"Yes,  yes!"  cried  the  Coyotes,  in  one  voice. 
"  We  are  all  ready  !  Now,  then  !  " 

The  old  Turtle  took  up  the  pair  of  ribs,  and, 
catching  them  in  his  beak,  crawled  out  to  the  end 
of  the  branch  immediately  over  the  Coyotes,  and, 
giving  them  a  good  fling,  dropped  them  as  hard  as 
he  could.  Over  and  over  they  fell,  and  then  came 
down  like  a  pair  of  stones  across  the  bodies  of  the 
Coyotes,  crushing  the  wind  out  of  them,  so  that 
they  had  no  breath  left  with  which  to  cry  out,  and 
most  of  them  were  instantly  killed.  But  the  two 
little  cubs  at  either  side  escaped  with  only  a  hurt 
or  two,  and,  after  yelling  fearfully,  one  of  them 
took  his  tail  between  his  legs  and  ran  away.  The 
other  one,  still  very  hungry,  ran  off  with  his  tail 
lowered  and  his  nose  to  the  ground,  sidewise,  until 
he  had  got  to  a  safe  distance,  and  then  he  sat  down 
and  looked  up.  Presently  he  thought  he  would 
return  and  eat  some  of  the  meat  from  the  ribs. 

"  Wait  !  "  cried  the  old  Turtle,  "  don't  go  near 
that  meat ;  leave  it  alone  for  your  parents  and 
brothers  and  sisters.  Really,  I  am  so  old  and  stiff 
that  it  took  me  a  long  time  to  get  out  to  the  end  of 
that  limb,  and  I  am  afraid  they  went  to  sleep  while 
I  was  getting  there,  for  see  how  still  they  lie." 

"  By  my  ancestors  !  "  exclaimed  the  Coyote,  look 
ing  at  them  ;  "  that  is  so." 

"  Why  don't  you  come  up  here  and  have  a  feast 
with  me," said  the  Turtle,  "  and  leave  that  meat  alone 
for  your  brothers  and  sisters  and  your  old  ones  ?  " 


How  the  Turtle  Duped  the  Coyote    253 

"  How  can  I  get  up  there?"  whined  the  Coyote, 
crawling  nearer  to  the  tree. 

11  Simply  reach  up  until  you  get  your  paw  over 
one  of  the  branches,  and  then  haul  yourself  up," 
replied  the  Turtle. 

The  little  Coyote  stretched  and  jumped,  and, 
though  he  sometimes  succeeded  in  getting  his  paw 
over  the  branch,  he  fell  back,  flop!  every  time.  And 
then  he  would  yelp  and  sing  out  as  though  every 
bone  in  his  body  was  broken. 

"  Never  mind  !  never  mind  ! "  cried  the  Turtle. 
"  I  '11  come  down  and  help  you."  So  he  crawled 
down  the  tree,  and,  reaching  over,  grabbed  the 
little  Coyote  by  the  topknot,  and  by  much  strug 
gling  he  was  able  to  climb  up.  When  they  got  to 
the  top  of  the  tree  the  Turtle  said  :  "  There,  now, 
help  yourself." 

The  little  Coyote  fell  to  and  filled  himself  so  full 
that  he  was  as  round  as  a  plum  and  elastic  as  a 
cranberry.  Then  he  looked  about  and  licked  his 
chops  and  tried  to  breathe,  but  could  n't  more  than 
half,  and  said :  "Oh,  my  !  if  I  don't  get  some  water 
I'll  choke!" 

"  My  friend,"  said  the  Turtle,  "  do  you  see  that 
drop  of  water  gleaming  in  the  sun  at  the  end  of 
that  branch  of  this  pine  tree  ?  "  (It  was  really  pitch.) 
"  Now,  I  have  lived  in  the  tops  of  trees  so  much 
that  I  know  where  to  go.  Trees  have  springs. 
Look  at  that." 

The  Coyote  looked  and  was  convinced. 

"  Walk  out,  now,  to  the  end  of  the  branch,  or 
until  you  come  to  one  of  those  drops  of  water,  then 


254  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

take  it  in  your  mouth  and  suck,  and  all  the  water 
you  want  will  flow  out." 

The  little  Coyote  started.  He  trembled  and  was 
unsteady  on  his  legs,  but  managed  to  get  half  way. 
"  Is  it  here?"  he  called,  turning  round  and  looking 
back. 

"  No,  a  little  farther,"  said  the  Turtle. 

So  he  cautiously  stepped  a  little  farther.  The 
branch  was  swaying  dreadfully.  He  turned  his 
head,  and  just  as  he  was  saying,  "  Is  it  here?"  he 
lost  his  balance  and  fell  plump  to  the  ground,  strik 
ing  so  hard  on  the  tough  earth  that  he  was  instantly 
killed. 

"  There,  you  wretched  beast ! "  said  the  old  Tur 
tle  with  a  sigh  of  relief  and  satisfaction.  "  Ingenu 
ity  enabled  me  to  kill  a  deer.  Ingenuity  enabled 
me  to  retain  the  deer." 

It  must  not  be  forgotten  that  one  of  the  little 
Coyotes  ran  away.  He  had  numerous  descendants, 
and  ever  since  that  time  they  have  been  character 
ized  by  pimples  all  over  their  faces  where  the 
mustaches  grow  out,  and  little  blotches  inside  of 
their  lips,  such  as  you  see  inside  the  lips  of  dogs. 

Thus  shortens  my  story. 


THE  COYOTE  AND  THE  LOCUST 

IN  the  days  of  the  ancients,  there  lived  south  of 
Zuni,  beyond  the  headland  of  rocks,  .at  a 
place  called  Suski-ashokton  ("  Rock  Hollow  of  the 
Coyotes  "  ),  an  old  Coyote.  And  this  side  of  the 
headland  of  rocks,  in  the  bank  of  a  steep  arroyo, 
lived  an  old  Locust,  near  where  stood  a  pinon  tree, 
crooked  and  so  bereft  of  needles  that  it  was  sunny. 
One  day  the  Coyote  went  out  hunting,  leaving 
his  large  family  of  children  and  his  old  wife  at  home. 
It  was  a  fine  day  and  the  sun  was  shining  brightly, 
and  the  old  Locust  crawled  out  of  his  home  in  the 
loam  of  the  arroyo  and  ascended  to  one  of  the  bare 
branches  of  the  pinon  tree,  where,  hooking  his  feet 
firmly  into  the  bark,  he  began  to  sing  and  play  his 
flute.  The  Coyote  in  his  wanderings  came  along 
just  as  he  began  to  sing  these  words  : 

"  Tchumali,  tchumali,  shohkoya^ 
Tchumali,  tchumali,  shohkoya  ! 

Yaamii  heeshoo  taatani  tchupatchinle, 
Shohkoya, 
Shohkoya  !  " 

Locust,  locust,  playing  a  flute, 
Locust,  locust,  playing  a  flute  ! 

Away  up  above  on  the  pine-tree  bough, 
closely  clinging, 

Playing  a  flute, 
Playing  a  flute  ! 

"  Delight  of  my  senses  ! "  called  out  the  Coyote, 

255 


256  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

squatting  down  on  his  haunches,  and  looking  up, 
with  his  ears  pricked  and  his  mouth  grinning  ;  "  De 
light  of  my  senses,  how  finely  you  play  your 
flute  ! " 

"  Do  you  think  so  ?"  said  the  Locust,  continuing 
his  song. 

"  Goodness,  yes  ! "  cried  the  Coyote,  shifting 
nearer.  "  What  a  song  it  is  !  Pray,  teach  it  to 
me,  so  that  I  can  take  it  home  and  dance  my  chil 
dren  to  it.  I  have  a  large  family  at  home." 

"All  right,"  said  the  Locust.  "Listen,  then." 
And  he  sang  his  song  again  : 

"  Tchumali,  tchumali,  shohkoya, 
Tchumali,  tchumali,  shohkoya  ! 

Yaamii  heeshoo  taatani  tchupatchinte, 
Shohkoya, 
Shohkoya  !  " 

"  Delightful ! "  cried  the  Coyote.  "  Now,  shall  I 
try?" 

"Yes,  try." 

Then  in  a  very  hoarse  voice  the  Coyote  half 
growled  and  half  sang  (making  a  mistake  here  and 
there,  to  be  sure)  what  the  Locust  had  sung,  though 
there  was  very  little  music  in  his  repetition  of  the 
performance. 

"  Tchu  u-mali,  tchumali — shohshoh  koya, 
Tchu  tchu  mali,  tchumali  shohkoya, 

Yaa  mami  he  he  shoo  ta  ta  tante  tchup  patchin  tey 
Shohkoya, 
Shohkoya  !  " 

"  Ha  ! "  laughed  he,  as  he  finished  ;  "  I  have  got 
it,  haven't  I?" 


The  Coyote  and  the  Locust 


"  Well,  yes,"  said  the  Locust,  "  fairly  well." 
"  Now,  then,  let  us  sing  it  over  together." 
And  while  the  Locust  piped  shrilly  the  Coyote 
sang  gruffly,  though  much  better  than  at  first,  the 
song. 

"There,  now,"  exclaimed  he,  with  a  whisk  of  his 
tail ;  "  did  n't  I  tell  you  ?  "  and  without  waiting  to  say 
another  word  he  whisked  away  toward  his  home 
beyond  the  headland  of  rocks.  As  he  was  running 
along  the  plain  he  kept  repeating  the  song  to  him 
self,  so  that  he  would  not  forget  it,  casting  his  eyes 
into  the  air,  after  the  manner  of  men  in  trying  to 
remember  or  to  say  particularly  fine  things,  so  that 
he  did  not  notice  an  old  Gopher  peering  at  him 
somewhat  ahead  on  the  trail ;  and  the  old  Gopher 
laid  a  trap  for  him  in  his  hole. 

The  Coyote  came  trotting  along,  singing  :  ilSkoh- 
koya,  shohkoya"  when  suddenly  he  tumbled  heels 
over  head  into  the  Gopher's  hole.  He  sneezed, 
began  to  cough,  and  to  rub  the  sand  out  of  his 
eyes  ;  and  then  jumping  out,  cursed  the  Gopher 
heartily,  and  tried  to  recall  his  song,  but  found  that 
he  had  utterly  forgotten  it,  so  startled  had  he  been. 
"  The  lubber-cheeked  old  Gopher  !  I  wish  the 
pests  were  all  in  the  Land  of  Demons ! "  cried  he. 
u  They  dig  their  holes,  and  nobody  can  go  any 
where  in  safety.  And  now  I  have  forgotten  my 
song.  Well,  I  will  run  back  and  get  the  old  Locust 
to  sing  it  over  again.  If  he  can  sit  there  singing 
to  himself,  why  can  't  he  sing  it  to  me  ?  No  doubt 
in  the  world  he  is  still  out  there  on  that  pinon 
branch  singing  away."  Saying  which,  he  ran  back 


258  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

as  fast  as  he  could.  When  he  arrived  at  the  pinon 
tree,  sure  enough,  there  was  the  old  Locust  still  sit 
ting  and  singing. 

"  Now,  how  lucky  this  is,  my  friend  !  "  cried  the 
Coyote,  long  before  he  had  reached  the  place. 
"  The  lubber-cheeked,  fat-sided  old  Gopher  dug  a 
hole  right  in  my  path  ;  and  I  went  along  singing 
your  delightful  song  and  was  so  busy  with  it  that  I 
fell  headlong  into  the  trap  he  had  set  for  me,  and 
I  was  so  startled  that,  on  my  word,  I  forgot  all  about 
the  song,  and  I  have  come  back  to  ask  you  to  sing 
it  for  me  again." 

"  Very  well,"  said  the  Locust.  "  Be  more  careful 
this  time."  So  he  sang  the  song  over. 

"  Good  !  Surely  I  '11  not  forget  it  this  time," 
cried  the  Coyote  ;  so  he  whisked  about,  and  away 
he  sped  toward  his  home  beyond  the  headland  of 
rocks.  "  Goodness  ! "  said  he  to  himself,  as  he 
went  along  ;  "  what  a  fine  thing  this  will  be  for  my 
children  !  How  they  will  be  quieted  by  it  when  I 
dance  them  as  I  sing  it !  Let 's  see  how  it  runs. 
Oh,  yes  ! 

"  Tchumali,  tchumali,  shohkoya, 
Tchumali,  tchumali,  shohko — " 

Thli-i-i-i-i-p,  piu-piu,  piu-piu  /  fluttered  a  flock  of 
Pigeons  out  of  the  bushes  at  his  very  feet,  with 
such  a  whizzing  and  whistling  that  the  Coyote 
nearly  tumbled  over  with  fright,  and,  recovering 
himself,  cursed  the  Doves  heartily,  calling  them 
"  gray-backed,  useless  sage-vermin  "  ;  and,  between 
his  fright  and  his  anger,  was  so  much  shaken  up 
that  he  again  forgot  his  song. 


The  Coyote  and  the  Locust  259 

Now,  the  Locust  wisely  concluded  that  this 
would  be  the  case,  and  as  he  did  not  like  the  Coy 
ote  very  well,  having  been  told  that  sometimes 
members  of  his  tribe  were  by  no  means  friendly  to 
Locusts  and  other  insects,  he  concluded  to  play 
him  a  trick  and  teach  him  a  lesson  in  the  minding 
of  his  own  affairs.  So,  catching  tight  hold  of  the 
bark,  he  swelled  himself  up  and  strained  until  his 
back  split  open  ;  then  he  skinned  himself  out  of  his 
old  skin,  and,  crawling  down  the  tree,  found  a  suit 
able  quartz  stone,  which,  being  light-colored  and 
clear,  would  not  make  his  skin  look  unlike  himself. 
He  took  the  stone  up  the  tree  and  carefully  placed 
it  in  the  empty  skin.  Then  he  cemented  the  back 
together  with  a  little  pitch  and  left  his  exact  coun 
terfeit  sticking  to  the  bark,  after  which  he  flew 
away  to  a  neighboring  tree. 

No  sooner  had  the  Coyote  recovered  his  equa 
nimity  to  some  extent  than,  discovering  the  loss  of 
his  song  and  again  exclaiming  "  No  doubt  he  is 
still  there  piping  away ;  I  '11  go  and  get  him  to  sing 
it  over," — he  ran  back  as  fast  as  he  could. 

"  Ah  wha  ! "  he  exclaimed,  as  he  neared  the  tree. 
"  I  am  quite  fatigued  with  all  this  extra  running 
about.  But,  no  matter  ;  I  see  you  are  still  there, 
my  friend.  A  lot  of  miserable,  gray-backed 
Ground-pigeons  flew  up  right  from  under  me  as  I 
was  going  along  singing  my  song,  and  they  startled 
me  so  that  I  forgot  it ;  but  I  tell  you,  I  cursed 
them  heartily !  Now,  my  friend,  will  you  not  be 
good  enough  to  sing  once  more  for  me  ?  " 

He  paused  for  a  reply.      None  came. 


260  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

"  Why,  what  's  the  matter  ?  Don't  you  hear 
me  ? "  yelled  the  Coyote,  running  nearer,  looking 
closely,  and  scrutinizing  the  Locust.  "  I  say,  I  have 
lost  my  song,  and  want  you  to  sing  for  me  again. 
Will  you,  or  will  you  not  ?  "  Then  he  paused. 

"  Look  here,  are  you  going  to  sing  for  me  or 
not  ?  "  continued  the  Coyote,  getting  angry. 

No  reply. 

The  Coyote  stretched  out  his  nose,  wrinkled  up 
his  lips,  and  snarled  :  "  Look  here,  do  you  see  my 
teeth  ?  Well,  I  '11  ask  you  just  four  times  more  to 
sing  for  me,  and  if  you  don't  sing  then,  I  '11  snap 
you  up  in  a  hurry,  I  tell  you.  Will — you— sing— 
for  me  ?  Once.  Will  you  sing — for  me  ?  Twice. 
Two  more  times  !  Look  out !  Will  you  sing  for 
me  ?  Are  you  a  fool  ?  Do  you  see  my  teeth  ? 
Only  once  more  !  Will — you — sing — for  me  ?  " 

No  reply. 

"  Well,  you  are  a  fool !  "  yelled  the  Coyote,  unable 
to  restrain  himself  longer,  and  making  a  quick 
jump,  he  snapped  the  Locust  skin  off  of  the  bough, 
and  bit  it  so  hard  that  it  crushed  and  broke  the 
teeth  in  the  middle  of  his  jaw,  driving  some  of 
them  so  far  down  in  his  gums  that  you  could  hardly 
see  them,  and  crowding  the  others  out  so  that  they 
were  regular  tusks.  The  Coyote  dropped  the 
stone,  rolled  in  the  sand,  and  howled  and  snarled 
and  wriggled  with  pain.  Then  he  got  up  and  shook 
his  head,  and  ran  away  with  his  tail  between  his 
legs.  So  excessive  was  his  pain  that  at  the  first 
brook  he  came  to  he  stooped  down  to  lap  up  water 
in  order  to  alleviate  it,  and  he  there  beheld  what 


The  Coyote  and  the  Locust  261 

you  and  I  see  in  the  mouths  of  every  Coyote  we 
ever  catch, — that  the  teeth  back  of  the  canines  are 
all  driven  down,  so  that  you  can  see  only  the  points 
of  them,  and  look  very  much  broken  up. 

In  the  days  of  the  ancients  the  Coyote  minded 
not  his  own  business  and  restrained  not  his  anger. 
So  he  bit  a  Locust  that  was  only  the  skin  of  one 
with  a  stone  inside.  And  all  his  descendants  have 
inherited  his  broken  teeth.  And  so  also  to  this 
day,  when  Locusts  venture  out  on  a  sunny  morning 
to  sing  a  song,  it  is  not  infrequently  their  custom 
to  protect  themselves  from  the  consequences  of 
attracting  too  much  attention  by  skinning  them 
selves  and  leaving  their  counterparts  on  the  trees. 

Thus  shortens  my  story. 


THE  COYOTE  AND  THE  RAVENS  WHO 
RACED  THEIR  EYES 

T  ONG,  long  ago,  in  the  days  of  the  ancients, 
1— '  there  lived  in  Homaiakwin,  or  the  Canon  of 
the  Cedars,  a  Coyote, — doubtless  the  same  one  I 
have  told  you  of  as  having  made  friends  with  the 
Woodpounder  bird.  As  you  know,  this  canon  in 
which  he  lived  is  below  the  high  eastern  cliff  of 
Face  Mountain. 

This  Coyote  was  out  walking  one  day.  On 
leaving  his  house  he  had  said  that  he  was  going 
hunting  ;  but, — miserable  fellow  ! — who  ever  knew 
a  Coyote  to  catch  anything,  unless  it  were  a  prairie- 
dog  or  a  wood-rat  or  a  locust  or  something  of  the 
kind  ?  So  you  may  depend  upon  it  he  was  out 
walking  ;  that  is,  wandering  around  to  see  what  he 
could  see. 

He  crossed  over  the  valley  northward,  with  his 
tail  dragging  along  in  an  indifferent  sort  of  a  way, 
until  he  came  to  the  place  on  Thunder  Mountain 
called  Shoton-pia  ("  Where  the  Shell  Breastplate 
Hangs  "  ).  He  climbed  up  the  foot-hills,  and  along 
the  terraces  at  the  base  of  the  cliff,  and  thus  hap 
pened  to  get  toward  the  southeastern  corner  of  the 
mountain.  There  is  a  little  column  of  rock  with  a 
round  top  to  it  standing  there,  as  you  know,  to  this 
day. 

Now,  on  the  top  of  this  standing  rock  sat  two 
old  Ravens,  racing  their  eyes.  One  of  them  would 

262 


The  Coyote  and  the  Ravens          263 

settle  himself  down  on  the  rock  and  point  with  his 
beak  straight  off  across  the  valley  to  some  pinnacle 
in  the  cliffs  of  the  opposite  mesa.  Then  he  would 
say  to  his  companion,  without  turning  his  head  at 
all :  "  You  see  that  rock  yonder  ?  Well,  ahem  ! 
Standing  rock  yonder,  round  you,  go  ye  my  eyes 
and  come  back."  Then  he  would  lower  his  head, 
stiffen  his  neck,  squeeze  his  eyelids,  and  "Pop!" 
he  would  say  as  his  eyes  flew  out  of  their  sockets, 
and  sailed  away  toward  the  rock  like  two  streaks  of 
lightning,  reaching  which  they  would  go  round  it, 
and  come  back  toward  the  Raven  ;  and  as  they 
were  coming  back,  he  would  swell  up  his  throat 
and  say  "  Whu-u-u-u-u-u-u" — whereupon  his  eyes 
would  slide  with  a  k'othlo !  into  their  sockets 
again.  Then  he  would  turn  toward  his  companion, 
and  swelling  up  his  throat  still  more,  and  ducking 
his  head  just  as  if  he  were  trying  to  vomit  his  own 
neck,  he  would  laugh  inordinately  ;  and  the  other 
would  laugh  with  him,  bristling  up  all  the  feathers 
on  his  body. 

Then  the  other  one  would  settle  himself,  and 
say :  "  Ah,  I  '11  better  you  !  You  see  that  rock 
away  yonder  ?  "  Then  he  would  begin  to  squeeze 
his  eyelids,  and  thlut  /  his  eyes  would  fly  out  of 
their  sockets  and  away  across  the  mesa  and  round 
the  rock  he  had  named  ;  and  as  they  flew  back,  he 
would  lower  himself,  and  say  "Whu-u-u-u-u-u-u" 
when  ttothlo  !  the  eyes  would  slide  into  their 
sockets  again.  Then,  as  much  amused  as  ever,  the 
Ravens  would  laugh  at  one  another  again. 

Now,  the   Coyote   heard   the    Ravens  humming 


264  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

their  eyes  back  into  their  sockets  ;  and  the  sound 
they  made,  as  well  as  the  way  they  laughed  so 
heartily,  exceedingly  pleased  him,  so  that  he  stuck 
his  tail  up  very  straight  and  laughed  merely  from 
seeing  them  laugh.  Presently  he  could  contain  him 
self  no  longer.  "  Friends,"  he  cried,  in  a  shrieky 
little  voice,  "  I  say,  friends,  how  do  you  do,  and 
what  are  you  doing  ?  " 

The  Ravens  looked  down,  and  when  they  saw 
the  Coyote  they  laughed  and  punched  one  another 
with  their  wings  and  cried  out  to  him  :  "  Bless  you  ! 
Glad  to  see  you  come  ! " 

"  What  is  it  you  are  doing  ?  "  asked  he.  "  By  the 
daylight  of  the  gods,  it  is  funny,  whatever  it  is  ! " 
And  he  whisked  his  tail  and  laughed,  as  he  said 
this,  drawing  nearer  to  the  Ravens. 

11  Why,  we  are  racing  our  eyes,"  said  the  older  of 
the  two  Ravens.  "  Did  n't  you  ever  see  anyone 
race  his  eyes  before  ?  " 

"  Good  demons,  no  ! "  exclaimed  the  Coyote. 
"  Race  your  eyes  !  How  in  the  world  do  you  race 
your  eyes  ?  " 

"  Why,  this  way,"  said  one  of  the  Ravens.  And 
he  settled  himself  down.  "  Do  you  see  that  tall 
rock  yonder  ?  Ahem  !  Well,  tall  rock,  yonder,— 
ye  my  eyes  go  round  it  and  return  to  me ! " 
ICothlo !  kothlo !  the  eyes  slipped  out  of  their 
sockets,  and  the  Raven,  holding  his  head  perfectly 
still,  waited,  with  his  upper  lids  hanging  wrinkled 
on  his  lower,  for  the  return  of  the  eyes  ;  and  as 
they  neared  him,  he  crouched  down,  swelled  up  his 
neck,  and  exclaimed  "  Whu-u-u-u-u-u-u"  Tsoko ! 


The  Coyote  and  the  Ravens          265 

the  eyes  flew  into  their  sockets  again.  Then  the 
Raven  turned  around  and  showed  his  two  black 
bright  eyes  as  good  as  ever.  "  There,  now  !  what 
did  I  tell  you  ?  " 

"  By  the  moon  ! "  squeaked  the  Coyote,  and 
came  up  nearer  still.  "  How  in  the  world  do  you 
do  that?  It  is  one  of  the  most  wonderful  and 
funny  things  I  ever  saw  !  " 

"  Well,  here,  come  up  close  to  me,"  said  the  Raven, 
"and  I  will  show  you  how  it  is  done."  Then  the 
other  Raven  settled  himself  down  ;  and  pop ! 
went  his  eyes  out  of  their  sockets,  round  a  rock 
still  farther  away.  And  as  they  returned,  he  ex 
claimed  "  Whu-u-u-u-ii-u-u"  when  tsoko !  in  again 
they  came.  And  he  turned  around  laughing  at  the 
Coyote.  "  There,  now!"  said  he,  "didn't  I  tell 
you?" 

"  By  the  daylight  of  the  gods  !  I  wish  I 
could  do  that,"  said  the  Coyote.  "  Suppose  I  try 
my  eyes?" 

"  Why,  yes,  if  you  like,  to  be  sure  ! "  said  the 
Ravens.  "Well,  now,  do  you  want  to  try?" 

"  Humph  !  I  should  say  I  did,"  replied  the 
Coyote. 

"  Well,  then,  settle  down  right  here  on  this  rock," 
said  the  Ravens,  making  way  for  him,  "  and  hold 
your  head  out  toward  that  rock  and  say  :  *  Yonder 
rock,  these  my  eyes  go  round  it  and  return  to  me. ' 

"  I  know  !  I  know  !  I  know  !"  yelled  the  Coyote. 
And  he  settled  himself  down,  and  squeezed  and 
groaned  to  force  his  eyes  out  of  his  sockets,  but 
they  would  not  go.  "Goodness!"  said  the 


266  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

Coyote,  "  how  can  I  get  my  eyes  to  go  out  of 
their  sockets  ?  " 

"  Why,  don't  you  know  how  ?"  said  the  Ravens. 
"Well,  just  keep  still,  and  we'll  help  you;  we'll 
take  them  out  for  you." 

"  All  right !  all  right ! "  cried  the  Coyote,  unable 
to  repress  his  impatience.  "  Quick  !  quick  !  here  I 
am,  all  ready  ! "  And  crouching  down,  he  laid  his 
tail  straight  out,  swelled  up  his  neck,  and  strained 
with  every  muscle  to  force  his  eyes  out  of  his  head. 
The  Ravens  picked  them  out  with  a  dexterous 
twist  of  their  beaks  in  no  time,  and  sent  them  fly 
ing  off  over  the  valley.  The  Coyote  yelped  a  little 
when  they  came  out,  but  stood  his  ground  man 
fully,  and  cringed  down  his  neck  and  waited  for 
his  eyes  to  come  back. 

"  Let  the  fool  of  a  beast  go  without  his  eyes," 
said  the  Ravens.  "  He  was  so  very  anxious  to  get 
rid  of  them,  and  do  something  he  had  no  business 
with  ;  let  him  go  without  them  ! "  Whereupon  they 
flew  off  across  the  valley,  and  caught  up  his  eyes 
and  ate  them,  and  flew  on,  laughing  at  the  predica 
ment  in  which  they  had  left  the  Coyote. 

Now,  thus  the  Coyote  sat  there  the  proper  length 
of  time ;  then  he  opened  his  mouth,  and  said 
"  Whu-u-u-u-u-u-u  !  "  But  he  waited  in  vain  for  his 
eyes  to  come  back.  And  "  Whu~u-u~M-u~u-M-u-u  !  " 
he  said  again.  No  use.  "  Mercy  !  "  exclaimed  he, 
"  what  can  have  become  of  my  eyes  ?  Why  don't 
they  come  back  ?  "  After  he  had  waited  and  "  whu- 
u-u-u-u-d"  until  he  was  tired,  he  concluded  that  his 
eyes  had  got  lost,  and  laid  his  head  on  his  breast, 


The  Coyote  and  the  Ravens          267 

wofully  thinking  of  his  misfortune.  "  How  in  the 
world  shall  I  hunt  up  my  eyes  ?  "  he  groaned,  as  he 
lifted  himself  cautiously  (for  it  must  be  remembered 
that  he  stood  on  a  narrow  rock),  and  tried  to  look 
all  around  ;  but  he  could  n't  see.  Then  he  began  to 
feel  with  his  paws,  one  after  another,  to  find  the 
way  down  ;  and  he  slipped  and  fell,  so  that  nearly 
all  the  breath  was  knocked  out  of  his  body.  When 
he  had  recovered,  he  picked  himself  up,  and  felt 
and  felt  along,  slowly  descending,  until  he  got  into 
the  valley. 

Now,  it  happened  as  he  felt  his  way  along  with 
his  toes  that  he  came  to  a  wet  place  in  the  valley, 
not  far  below  where  the  spring  of  Shuntakaiya 
flows  out  from  the  cliffs  above.  In  feeling  his  way, 
his  foot  happened  to  strike  a  yellow  cranberry,  ripe 
and  soft,  but  very  cold,  of  course.  "  Ha  !"  said  he, 
"  lucky  fellow,  I  !  Here  is  one  of  my  eyes."  So  he 
picked  it  up  and  clapped  it  into  one  of  his  empty 
sockets  ;  then  he  peered  up  to  the  sky,  and  the 
light  struck  through  it.  "  Did  n't  I  tell  you  so,  old 
fellow  ?  It  is  one  of  your  eyes,  by  the  souls  of  your 
ancestors  ! "  Then  he  felt  around  until  he  found 
another  cranberry.  "Ha!"  said  he,  "and  this 
proves  it !  Here  is  the  other  !  "  And  he  clapped 
that  into  the  other  empty  socket.  He  did  n't  seem 
to  see  quite  as  well  as  he  had  seen  before,  but  still 
the  cranberries  answered  the  purpose  of  eyes  ex 
ceedingly  well,  and  the  poor  wretch  of  a  Coyote 
never  knew  the  difference  ;  only  it  was  observed 
when  he  returned  to  his  companions  in  the  Canon 
of  the  Cedars  that  he  had  yellow  eyes  instead  of 


268  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

black  ones,  which  everybody  knows  Coyotes  and 
all  other  creatures  had  at  first. 

Thus  it  was  in  the  days  of  the  ancients,  and 
hence  to  this  day  coyotes  have  yellow  eyes,  and 
are  not  always  quick  to  see  things. 

Thus  shortens  my  story. 


THE  P  R  A  I  R  I  E-D  OGS  AND  THEIR 
PRIEST,  THE  BURROWING-OWL 

ONCE,  long,  long  ago,  there  stood  in  Prairie-dog 
Land  a  large  Prairie-dog  village.  Prairie- 
dog  Land  is  south  of  Zufii,  beyond  Grease  Moun 
tain  ;  and  in  the  middle  of  that  country,  which  is 
one  of  our  smaller  meadows,  stands  a  mountain, 
which  is  a  little  mound.  All  round  about  the  base 
of  this  mountain  were  the  sky-holes  and  door- 
mounds  and  pathways  of  the  grandfathers  of  the 
Prairie-dogs.  In  the  very  top  of  the  mount  was  the 
house  of  an  old  Burrowing-owl  and  his  wife. 

One  summer  it  rained  and  it  rained  and  it  rained, 
so  that  the  fine  fields  of  mitaliko  (wild  portulaca) 
were  kept  constantly  fresh,  and  the  Prairie-dogs 
had  unfailing  supplies  of  this,  their  favorite  food. 
They  became  fat  and  happy,  and  gloried  in  the 
rain-storms  that  had  produced  such  an  abundant 
harvest  for  them.  But  still  it  kept  raining,  until 
by-and-by,  when  they  descended  to  their  fields  of 
mitaliko,  they  found  their  feet  were  wet,  which  they 
did  not  like  any  more  than  Prairie-dogs  like  it 
today. 

Now,  you  know  that  in  some  parts  of  the  meadow 
of  Prairie-dog  Land  are  little  hollows,  in  which  the 
water  collects  when  it  rains  hard.  Just  in  these 
places  were  the  fields  of  mitaliko.  And  still  it 
rained  and  rained,  until  finally  only  the  tops  of  the 
plants  appeared  above  the  waters. 

269 


270  Zuni  Folk  Tale3 

Then  the  Prairie-dogs  began  to  curse  the  rain 
and  to  fall  off  in  flesh,  for  they  could  no  longer  go 
to  the  fields  to  collect  food,  and  the  stores  in  their 
granaries  were  running  low.  At  last  they  grew 
very  hungry  and  lean  and  could  hardly  get  about, 
for  it  rained  and  rained  day  after  day,  so  that  they 
dare  not  go  away  from  their  holes,  and  their  stores 
were  all  gone. 

The  old  ones  among  the  Prairie-dogs,  the  grand 
fathers,  called  a  great  council ;  three  or  four  of 
them  came  out  of  their  houses,  stood  up  on  the 
mounds  in  front  of  their  sky-holes,  and  called  out 
"Wek  wek, — wek  wek, — wek  ivek, — wek  wek!  "  in 
shrill,  squeaky  voices,  so  that  the  women  and  chil 
dren  in  the  holes  round  about  exclaimed :  "  Good 
ness,  gracious  !  the  old  ones  are  calling  a  council ! " 
And  everybody  trooped  to  the  council,  which  was 
gathered  round  the  base  of  the  Burrowing-owFs 
mountain. 

"  Now,"  said  the  chief  spokesman  or  counsellor, 
"  you  see  those  wretched  rainers  keep  dropping 
water  until  our  fields  of  mitaliko  are  flooded. 
They  ought  to  know  that  we  are  short  of  leg,  and 
that  we  can't  go  into  the  lakes  to  gather  food,  and 
here  we  are  starving.  Our  women  are  dying,  our 
children  are  crying,  and  we  can  scarcely  go  from 
door  to  door.  Now,  what  is  to  be  done  ?  How 
can  we  stop  the  rain  ? — that  is  the  question." 

They  talked  and  talked ;  they  devised  many 
plans,  which  were  considered  futile,  most  of  them 
having  been  tried  already.  At  last  a  wise  old  gray- 
cheeked  fellow  suggested  that  it  would  be  well  to 


The  Prairie-dogs  and  their  Priest      271 

apply  to  their  grandfather,  the  Burrowing-owl,  who 
lived  in  the  top  of  the  mountain. 

"  Hear  !  hear  ! "  cried  the  council  in  one  voice,— 
whereupon    the    old    man    who    had    spoken    was 
chosen  as  messenger  to  the  Burrowing-owl. 

He  climbed  to  the  top  of  the  mountain,  with 
many  a  rest,  and  at  last  got  near  the  doorway,  and 
sitting  down  at  a  respectful  distance,  raised  himself 
on  his  haunches,  folded  his  hands  across  his  breast, 
then  cried  out :  "  Wek  wek, — wek  wek  !  " 

The  old  grandfather  Burrowing-owl,  not  in  very 
good  humor,  stepped  out,  blinking  his  eyes  and 
asked  what  was  the  matter.  He  said  :  "  It  is  n't 
your  custom  to  come  up  to  my  house  and  make 
such  a  racket,  though  true  enough  it  is  that  I  hear 
your  rackets  down  below.  It  cannot  be  for  noth 
ing  that  you  come ;  therefore,  what  is  your 
message  ? " 

"  My  grandfather,"  said  the  Prairie-dog,  "  in 
council  we  have  considered  how  to  stop  the  ir 
repressible  rainers  ;  but  all  of  our  efforts  and  de 
vices  are  quite  futile,  so  that  we  are  forced  to 
apply  to  you." 

"  Ah,  indeed,"  said  the  old  Owl,  scratching  the 
corner  of  his  eye  with  his  claw.  "  Go  down  home, 
and  I  will  see  what  I  can  do  tomorrow  morning. 
As  you  all  know  very  well,  I  am  a  priest.  I  will 
set  aside  four  days  for  fasting  and  meditation  and' 
sacred  labors.  Please  await  the  result." 

The  old  Prairie-dog  humbly  bade  him  farewell 
and  departed  for  his  village  below. 

Next    morning   the   Burrowing-owl    said   to   his 


272  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

wife  :  "  Put  on  a  large  quantity  of  beans,  my  old 
one,  and  cook  them  well, — small  beans,  of  the  kind 
that  smell  not  pleasantly."  He  then  bade  her 
"  Good  morning,"  and  left.  He  went  about  for  a 
long  time,  hunting  at  the  roots  of  bushes.  At  last 
he  found  one  of  those  ill-smelling  Beetles,  with  its 
head  stuck  way  down  in  the  midst  of  the  roots. 
He  grabbed  him  up,  notwithstanding  the  poor 
creature's  remonstrances,  and  took  him  home. 

When  he  arrived  there,  said  he :  "  My  friend,  it 
seems  to  me  you  are  making  a  great  fuss  about 
this  thing,  but  I  am  not  going  to  hurt  you,  except 
in  one  way, — by  the  presentation  to  you  of  all  the 
food  you  can  eat." 

"Bless  me!"  said  the  Tip-beetle,  bobbing  his 
head  down  into  the  ground  and  rearing  himself 
into  the  air.  Then  he  sat  down  quite  relieved  and 
contented. 

"  Old  woman,"  said  the  Burrowing-owl,  "  lay  out 
a  dish  of  the  beans  on  the  floor."  The  wife  com 
plied.  "  My  friend,"  said  the  Burrowing-owl  to  the 
Tip-beetle,  "  fall  to  and  satisfy  yourself." 

The  Tip-beetle,  with  another  tip,  sat  down  be 
fore  the  bowl  of  beans.  He  ate,  and  swallowed, 
and  gulped  until  he  had  entirely  emptied  the  dish, 
and  began  to  grow  rather  full  of  girth. 

"  Not  yet  satisfied?"  asked  the  Owl.  "Old 
woman,  lay  out  another  bowl." 

Another  large  bowl  of  the  bean  soup  was  placed 
before  the  Tip-beetle,  who  likewise  gulped  and 
gulped  at  this,  and  at  last  diminished  it  to  nothing. 
Now,  the  Tip-beetle  by  this  time  looked  like  a 


The  Prairie-dogs  and  their  Priest      273 

well-blown-up  paunch.  Still,  when  the  old  Owl 
remarked  "  Is  there  left  of  your  capacity?"  he  re 
plied  :  "  Somewhat ;  by  the  favor  of  a  little  more, 
I  think  I  shall  be  satisfied." 

"  Old  woman,"  said  the  Owl,  "  a  little  more." 

The  old  woman  placed  another  bowl  before  the 
Tip-beetle  ;  and  he  ate  and  ate,  and  swallowed  and 
swallowed,  and  gulped  and  sputtered  ;  but  with  all  \ 

the  standing  up  and  wiggling  of  his  head  that  he 
could  do  he  could  not  finish  the  bowl ;  and  at  last, 
wiping  the  perspiration  from  his  brow,  he  ex 
claimed  :  "  Thanks,  thanks,  I  am  satisfied." 

"Ha,  indeed!"  said  the  Owl.  Both  the  old 
woman  and  the  Tip-beetle  had  noticed,  while  the 
f^ast  was  going  on,  that  the  Owl  had  cut  out  a 
good-sized  round  piece  of  buckskin,  and  he  was 
Running  a  thread  round  about  the  edge  of  it,  leav- 
/ing  two  strings  at  either  side,  like  the  strings  with 
which  one  draws  together  a  pouch.  Just  as  the 
Tip-beetle  returned  his  thanks  the  old  Owl  had 
finished  his  work. 

"  My  friend,"  said  he,  turning  to  the  Tip-beetle, 
"you  have  feasted  to  satisfaction,  and  it  appears  to 
me  by  your  motions  that  you  are  exceedingly  uncom 
fortable,  being  larger  of  girth  than  is  safe  and  well 
for  a  Tip-beetle.  Perhaps  you  are  not  aware  that  one 
who  eats  freely  of  bean  soup  is  likely  to  grow  still 
larger.  I  would  advise  you,  therefore,  when  I  lay 
this  pouch  on  the  floor,  with  the  mouth  of  it  toward 
you,  to  run  your  head  into  it  and  exhale  as  much 
wind  as  possible  ;  and  to  facilitate  this  I  will  squeeze 
you  slightly." 


274  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

The  Tip-beetle  was  not  very  well  pleased  with 
the  proposition  ;  still  he  by  no  means  refused  to 
comply. 

"  You  see,"  continued  the  Owl,  "  you  are  at  once 
to  be  relieved  of  the  serious  consequences  of  your 
gluttony,  while  at  the  same  time  paying  for  your 
food."  ' 

"  Now,  this  is  an  excellent  idea,  upon  my  word," 
replied  the  Tip-beetle,  and  forthwith  he  thrust  him 
self  into  the  bag.  The  old  Owl  embraced  the  Tip- 
beetle  and  gently  squeezed  him,  increasing  the 
pressure  as  time  went  on,  until  a  large  amount  of 
his  girth  had  been  diminished  ;  but  behold  !  the 
girth  of  the  bag  was  swelled  until  it  was  so  full  with 
struggling  wind  that  it  could  hardly  be  tied  up  ! 
Outside,  the  rain  was  rattling,  rattling. 

Said  the  old  Owl  to  the  Tip-beetle  :  "  My  friend, 
if  you  do  not  mind  the  rain,  which  I  dare  say  you 
do  not,  you  may  now  return  to  your  home.  Many 
thanks  for  your  assistance." 

The  Tip-beetle,  likewise  with  expression  of 
thanks,  took  his  departure. 

When  the  morning  of  the  fourth  day  came,  and 
the  rain  still  continued,  in  fact  increased,  the  old 
Owl  took  the  bag  of  wind  out  to  the  mount  before 
his  doorway. 

Now,  you  know  that  if  one  goes  near  a  Tip-beetle 
and  disturbs  him,  that  Tip-beetle  will  rear  himself  on 
his  hands  and  head  and  disgorge  breath  of  so  pung 
ent  a  nature  that  nobody  can  withstand  it.  Woe  to 
the  nose  of  that  man  who  is  in  the  neighborhood  ! 
It  will  be  so  seared  with  this  over-powering  odor 


The  Prairie-dogs  and  their  Priest       275 

that  it  cannot  sneeze,  though  desiring  never  so 
much  to  do  so.  You  know,  also,  if  you  touch  a  Tip- 
beetle  who  is  angry,  all  the  good  water  in  Zuni  River 
will  not  remove  from  your  fingers  the  memory  of 
that  Beetle,  whenever  you  chance  to  smell  of  them. 
And  you  know,  also,  how  small  stewed  beans  with 
thick  skins  affect  one.  Conceive,  then,  the  power 
of  the  medicine  contained  in  that  little  bag. 

The  old  Owl,  taking  up  a  stick,  hit  the  bag  one 
whack.  The  clouds,  before  so  thick,  glaring  with 
lightning,  trembling  and  swirling  with  thunder,  now 
began  to  thin  out  in  the  zenith  and  depart,  and  the 
sunlight  sifted  through.  The  Owl  hit  the  bag  an 
other  stroke, — behold,  afar  off  scudded  the  clouds 
as  before  a  fierce  blast.  Again  the  old  Owl  hit  the 
bag.  The  clouds  were  resting  on  the  far  away 
mountain-tops  before  he  had  lowered  his  stick. 
Then,  with  one  mighty  effort,  he  gave  the  bag  a 
final  whack,  wholly  emptying  it  of  its  contents,  and 
the  sky  was  as  clear  as  it  is  on  a  summer's  day  in 
the  noon-time  of  a  drought.  So  potent  was  this 
all-penetrating  and  irresistible  odor,  that  even  the 
Rain-gods  themselves  could  not  withstand  it,  and 
withdrew  their  forces  and  retired  before  it. 

Out  from  their  holes  trooped  the  Prairie-dogs, 
and  sitting  up  on  their  haunches  all  round  about 
the  mountain,  they  shouted  at  the  tops  of  their 
shrill  voices,  "Wek  wek, — wek  wek, — wek  wek!" 
in  praise  of  their  great  priest,  the  Grandfather  Bur- 
rowing-owl. 

Behold,  thus  it  was  in  the  days  of  the  ancients. 


276  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

And  for  that  reason  prairie-dogs  and  burrowing- 
owls  have  always  been  great  friends.  And  the 
burrowing-owls  consider  no  place  in  the  world 
quite  so  appropriate  for  the  bringing  forth,  hatch 
ing,  and  rearing  of  their  children  as  the  holes  of 
the  prairie-dogs. 

Thus  shortens  my  story. 


HOW  THE  GOPHER  RACED  WITH  THE 
RUNNERS  OF  K'lAKIME 

THERE  was  a  time  in  the  days  of  the  ancients 
when  the  runners  of  K'iakime  were  famed 
above  those  of  all  other  cities  in  the  Valley  of  Shi- 
wina  for  their  strength,  endurance,  and  swiftness  of 
foot.  In  running  the  tikwa,  or  kicked-stick  race, 
they  overcame,  one  after  another,  the  runners  of 
Shiwina  or  Zuni,  of  Matsaki  or  the  Salt  City,  of 
Pinawa  or  the  Town  of  the  Winds,  and  in  fact  all 
who  dared  to  challenge  them  or  to  accept  their 
challenges. 

The  people  of  Shiwina  and  Matsaki  did  not  give 
up  easily.  They  ran  again  and  again,  only  to  be 
beaten  and  to  lose  the  vast  piles  of  goods  and  pre 
cious  things  which  they  had  staked  or  bet ;  and  at 
last  they  were  wholly  disheartened  and  bereft  of 
everything  which  without  shame  a  man  might  ex 
hibit  for  betting. 

So  the'  people  of  the  two  towns  called  a  coun 
cil,  and  the  old  men  and  runners  gathered 
and  discussed  what  could  be  done  that  the 
runners  of  K'iakime  might  be  overcome.  They 
thought  of  all  the  wise  men  and  wise  beings  they 
knew  of  ;  one  after  another  of  them  was  mentioned, 
and  at  last  a  few  prevailed  in  contending  that  for 
both  wisdom  and  cunning  or  craft  the  Gopher  took 
precedence  over  all  those  who  had  been  mentioned. 
Forthwith  a  young  man  was  dispatched  to  find  an 

277 


278  Zufti  Folk  Tales 

old  Gopher  who  lived  on  the  side  of  the  hill  near 
which  the  race-course  began. 

He  was  out  sunning  himself,  and  finishing  a 
cellar,  when  the  young  man  approached  him,  and  he 
called  out :  "  Ha,  grandson  !  Don't  bother  me  this 
morning;  I  am  busy  digging  my  cellars." 

The  young  man  insisted  that  he  came  with  an 
important  message  from  his  people.  So  the  old 
Gopher  ceased  his  work,  and  listened  attentively 
while  the  young  man  related  to  him  the  difficulties 
they  were  in. 

Said  he  :  "  Go  back,  my  grandson,  and  tell  your 
people  to  challenge  the  runners  of  K'iakime  to  run 
the  race  of  the  kicked  stick  with  a  runner  whom 
they  have  chosen,  a  single  one,  the  fourth  day  from 
this  day  ;  and  tell  your  people,  moreover,  that  I  will 
run  the  race  for  them,  providing  only  that  the  run 
ners  of  K'iakime  will  permit  me  to  go  my  own 
way,  on  my  own  road,  which  as  you  know  runs 
underground." 

The  youth  thanked  the  old  Gopher  and  was 
about  to  retire  when  the  fat-sided,  heavy-cheeked 
old  fellow  called  to  him  to  hold  on  a  little.  "  Mind 
you,"  said  he.  "  Tell  your  people  also  that  they 
shall  bet  for  me  only  two  things — red  paint  and 
sacred  yellow  pollen.  These  shall,  as  it  were,  be 
the  payment  for  my  exertions,  if  I  win,  as  I  prize 
this  sort  of  possession  above  all  else." 

The  young  man  returned  and  reported  what  the 
Gopher  had  said.  Thereupon  the  people  of  Shi- 
wina  and  Matsaki  sent  a  challenge  to  the  people  of 
K'iakime  for  a  race,  saying  :  "  We  bet  all  that  we 


How  the  Gopher  Raced  279 

have  against  what  you  have  won  from  us  from  time 
to  time  that  our  runner,  the  Gopher,  who  lives  beside 
the  beginning  of  our  race-course,  will  beat  you  in 
the  race,  which  we  propose  shall  be  the  fourth  day 
from  this  day.  The  only  condition  we  name  is, 
that  the  Gopher  shall  be  permitted  to  run  in  his 
own  way,  on  his  own  road,  which  is  underground." 

Right  glad  were  the  runners  of  K'iakime  to  run 
against  anyone  proposed  by  those  whom  they  had 
so  often  beaten.  They  hesitated  not  a  moment  in 
replying  that  they  would  run  against  the  Gopher  or 
any  other  friend  of  the  people  of  Matsaki  and  Shi- 
wina,  stipulating  only  that  the  Gopher,  if  he  ran 
underground,  should  appear  at  the  surface  occa 
sionally,  that  they  might  know  where  he  was.  So 
it  was  arranged,  and  the  acceptance  of  the  chal 
lenge  was  reported  to  the  Gopher,  and  the  stipu 
lation  also  which  was  named  by  the  runners  of 
K'iakime. 

That  night  the  old  Gopher  went  to  his  younger 
brother,  old  like  himself,  heavy-cheeked,  gray-and- 
brown-coated,  and  dusty  with  diggings  of  his  cel 
lars.  "  My  younger  brother,"  said  the  old  Gopher, 
"the  fourth  day  from  this  day  I  am  to  run  a  race. 
I  shall  start  at  the  beginning  of  the  race-course  of 
the  people  of  K'iakime  over  here,  which  is  near  my 
home,  as  you  know.  There  I  shall  dig  two  holes  ; 
one  at  the  beginning  of  the  race-course,  the  other 
a  little  farther  on.  Now,  here  at  your  home,  near 
the  Place  of  the  Scratching  Bushes,  do  you  dig  a 
hole,  down  below  where  the  race-course  passes 
your  place,  off  to  one  side  of  it,  and  another  hole  a 


28o  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

little  beyond  the  first.  The  means  by  which  I  shall 
be  distinguished  as  a  racer  will  be  a  red  plume  tied 
to  my  head.  Do  you  also  procure  a  red  plume  and 
tie  it  to  your  head.  When  you  hear  the  thundering 
of  the  feet  of  the  racers,  run  out  and  show  yourself 
for  a  minute,  and  rush  into  the  other  hole  as  fast 
as  you  can." 

"  I  understand  what  you  would  have  of  me,  and 
right  gladly  will  I  do  it.  It  would  please  me  ex 
ceedingly  to  take  down  the  pride  of  those  haughty 
runners  of  K'iakime,  or  at  least  to  help  in  doing 
it,"  replied  the  younger  brother. 

The  old  Gopher  went  on  to  the  Sitting  Space 
of  the  Red  Shell,  where  dwelt  another  of  his 
younger  brothers  precisely  like  himself  and  the  one 
he  had  already  spoken  to,  near  whose  home  the 
race-course  also  ran.  To  him  he  communicated  the 
same  information,  and  gave  the  same  directions. 
Then  he  went  on  still  farther  to  the  place  called 
K'opak'yan,  where  dwelt  another  of  his  younger 
brothers.  To  him  also  he  gave  the  same  direc 
tions  ;  and  to  still  another  younger  brother,  who 
dwelt  beneath  the  base  of  the  two  broad  pillars  of 
Thunder  Mountain,  at  the  last  turning-point  of  the 
race-course  ;  and  to  another  brother,  who  dwelt  at 
the  Place  of  the  Burnt  Log ;  and  lastly  to  another 
brother  quite  as  cunning  and  inventive  as  himself, 
who  dwelt  just  below  K'iakime  where  the  race 
course  turned  toward  its  end.  When  all  these  ar 
rangements  had  been  made,  the  old  Gopher  went 
back  and  settled  himself  comfortably  in  his 
nest. 


How  the  Gopher  Raced  281 

Bright  and  early  on  the  fourth  day  preparations 
were  made  for  the  race.  The  runners  of  K'iakime 
had  been  fasting  and  training  in  the  sacred  houses, 
and  they  came  forth  stripped  and  begirt  for  the 
racing,  carrying  their  stick.  Then  came  the  peo 
ple  of  Matsaki  and  Shiwina,  who  gathered  on  the 
plain,  and  there  they  waited.  But  they  waited  not 
long,  for  soon  the  old  Gopher  appeared  close  in 
their  midst,  popping  out  of  the  ground,  and  on  his 
head  was  a  little  red  plume.  He  placed  the  stick 
which  had  been  prepared  for  him,  on  the  ground, 
where  he  could  grab  it  with  his  teeth  easily,  saying  : 
"  Of  course,  you  will  excuse  me  if  I  do  not  kick  my 
stick,  since  my  feet  are  so  short  that  I  could  not  do 
so.  On  the  other  hand,"  he  said  to  the  runners, 
"  you  do  not  have  to  dig  your  way  as  I  do.  There 
fore,  we  are  evenly  matched." 

The  runners  of  K'iakime,  contemptuously  laugh 
ing,  asked  him  why  he  did  not  ask  for  some  privi 
lege  instead  of  talking  about  things  which  meant 
nothing  to  them. 

At  last  the  word  was  given.  With  a  yell  and  a 
spring,  off  dashed  the  racers  of  K'iakime,  gaily 
kicking  their  stick  before  them.  Grabbing  his 
stick  in  his  teeth,  into  the  ground  plunged  the  old 
Gopher.  Fearful  lest  their  runner  should  be 
beaten,  the  people  of  Shiwina  and  Matsaki  ran  to  a 
neighboring  hill,  watching  breathlessly  for  him  to 
appear  somewhere  in  the  course  of  the  race  above 
the  plain.  Away  over  the  plain  in  a  cloud  of  dust 
swept  the  runners  of  K'iakime.  They  were  already 
far  off,  when  suddenly,  some  distance  before  them, 


282  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

out  of  the  ground  in  the  midst  of  the  race-course, 
popped  the  old  Gopher,  to  all  appearance,  the 
red  plume  dusty,  but  waving  proudly  on  his  fore 
head.  After  looking  round  at  the  runners,  into 
the  ground  he  plunged  again.  The  people  of  Shi- 
wina  and  Matsaki  yelled  their  applause.  The  run 
ners  of  K'iakime,  astounded  that  the  Gopher  should 
be  ahead  of  them,  redoubled  their  efforts.  When 
they  came  near  the  Place  of  the  Red  Shell,  be 
hold  !  somewhat  muddy  round  the  eyes  and  nose, 
out  popped  the  old  Gopher  again,  to  all  appear 
ance.  Of  course  it  was  his  brother,  the  red  plume 
somewhat  heavy  with  dirt,  but  still  waving  on  his 
forehead. 

On  rushed  the  runners,  and  they  had  no  sooner 
neared  K'opak'yan  than  again  they  saw  the  Gopher 
in  advance  of  them,  now  apparently  covered  with 
sweat, — for  this  cunning  brother  had  provided  him 
self  with  a  little  water  which  he  rubbed  over  his  fur 
and  made  it  all  muddy,  as  though  he  were  perspir 
ing  and  had  already  begun  to  grow  tired.  He  came 
out  of  his  hole  and  popped  into  the  other  less 
quickly  than  the  others  had  done  ;  and  the  runners, 
who  were  not  far  behind  him,  raised  a  great  shout 
and  pushed  ahead.  When  they  thought  they  had 
gained  on  him,  behold  !  in  their  pathway,  all  bedrag 
gled  with  mud,  apparently  the  same  old  Gopher 
appeared,  moving  with  some  difficulty,  and  then 
disappeared  under  the  ground  again.  And  so  on, 
the  runners  kept  seeing  the  Gopher  at  intervals, 
each  time  a  little  worse  off  than  before,  until  they 
came  to  the  last  turning-place  ;  and  just  as  they 


How  the  Gopher  Raced  283 

reached  it,  almost  in  their  midst  appeared  the  most 
bedraggled  and  worn  out  of  all  the  Gophers. 
They,  seeing  the  red  plume  on  his  crest,  almost  ob 
scured  by  mud  and  all  flattened  out,  regarded  him 
as  surely  the  same  old  Gopher. 

Finally,  the  original  old  Gopher,  who  had  been 
quietly  sleeping  meanwhile,  roused  himself,  and  be- 
soaking  himself  from  the  tip  of  his  nose  to  the  end 
of  his  short  tail,  wallowed  about  in  the  dirt  until  he 
was  well  plastered  with  mud,  half  closing  his  eyes, 
and  crawled  out  before  the  astonished  multitude  at 
the  end  of  the  goal,  a  sorry-looking  object  indeed, 
far  ahead  of  the  runners,  who  were  rapidly  ap 
proaching.  A  great  shout  was  raised  by  those 
who  were  present,  and  the  runners  of  K'iakime  for 
the  first  time  lost  all  of  their  winnings,  and  had  the 
swiftness,  or  at  least  all  their  confidence,  taken  out 
of  them,  as  doth  the  wind  lose  its  swiftness  when 
its  legs  are  broken. 

Thus  it  was  in  the  days  of  the  ancients.  By  the 
skill  and  cunning  of  the  Gopher — who,  by  digging 
his  many  holes  and  pitfalls,  is  the  opponent  of  all 
runners,  great  and  small — was  the  race  won  against 
the  swiftest  runners  among  the  youth  of  our  an 
cients.  Therefore,  to  this  day  the  young  runners 
of  Zufii,  on  going  forth  to  prepare  for  a  race,  take 
with  them  the  sacred  yellow  pollen  and  red  paint  ; 
and  they  make  for  the  gophers,  round  about  the 
race-course  in  the  country,  beautiful  little  plumes, 
and  they  speak  to  them  speeches  in  prayer,  saying  : 
"  Behold,  O  ye  Gophers  of  the  plains  and  the 


284  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

trails,  we  race  !  And  that  we  may  have  thy  aid, 
we  give  ye  these  things,  which  are  unto  ye  and 
your  kind  most  precious,  that  ye  will  cause  to  fall 
into  your  holes  and  crannies  and  be  hidden  away  in 
the  dark  and  the  dirt  the  sticks  that  are  kicked  by 
our  opponents." 

Thus  shortens  my  story. 


HOW  THE    RATTLESNAKES  CAME   TO 
BE  WHAT  THEY  ARE 

KNOW  you  that  long,  long  ago  there  lived  at 
Yathlpew'nan,  as  live  there  now,  many  Rat 
tlesnakes  ;  but  then  they  were  men  and  women,  only 
of  a  Rattlesnake  kind. 

One  day  the  little  children  of  one  of  the  houses 
there  wished  to  go  out  to  play  at  sliding  down  the 
sand-banks  south  of  the  Bitter  Pond  on  the  other 
side  of  our  river.  So  they  cried  out  to  their 
parents  :  "  Let  us  go,  O  mother,  grandmother, 
father !  and  take  our  little  sister  to  play  on  the 
sunny  side  of  the  sand-banks." 

"  My  children,"  said  the  mother,  "  go  if  you  wish, 
but  be  very  careful  of  your  little  sister ;  for  she  is 
young.  Carry  her  gently  on  your  shoulders,  and 
place  her  where  she  will  be  safe,  for  she  is  very 
small  and  helpless." 

"Oh,  yes!"  cried  the  children.  "We  love  our 
little  sister,  don't  we,  little  one  ?  "  said  they,  turn 
ing  to  the  baby  girl.  Then  they  took  her  up  in 
their  mantles,  and  carried  her  on  their  shoulders 
out  to  the  sunny  side  of  the  sand-banks  ;  and  there 
they  began  to  play  at  sliding  one  after  another. 

The  little  girl,  immensely  delighted  with  their 
sport,  toddled  out  from  the  place  where  they  had 
set  her  down,  just  as  one  of  the  girls  was  speeding 
down  the  side  of  the  sand-hill.  The  little  creature 
ran,  clapping  her  hands  and  laughing,  to  catch  her 

285 


286  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

sister  as  she  came  ;  and  the  elder  one,  trying  in  vain 
to  stop  herself,  called  out  to  her  to  beware  ;  but  she 
was  a  little  thing,  and  knew  not  the  meaning  of  her 
sister's  warning ;  and,  alas  !  the  elder  one  slid  down 
upon  her,  knocked  her  over  and  rolled  her  in  the 
sand,  crushing  her  so  that  she  died,  and  rolling  her 
out  very  small. 

The  children  all  gathered  around  their  little  sis 
ter,  and  cried  and  cried.  Finally  they  took  her  up 
tenderly,  and,  placing  her  on  their  shoulders,  sang 
as  they  went  slowly  toward  home  : 


"  Tchi-tola  tsaaana  ! 
Tc hi -tola  tsaaana  ! 
Tchi-tola  tsaaana  ! 

A  ma  ma  hama  seta  ! 
Ama  ma  hama  seta  !  " 

Rattlesnake  little-little  ! 
Rattlesnake  little-little  ! 
Rattlesnake  little-little  ! 

Alas,  we  bear  her  ! 

Alas,  we  bear  her  ! 


As  they  approached  the  village  of  the  Rattle 
snakes,  the  mother  of  the  little  one  looked  out  and 
saw  them  coming  and  heard  their  song. 

"  O,  my  children  !  my  children ! "  she  cried. 
"  Ye  foolish  little  ones,  did  I  not  tell  ye  to  be 
ware  and  to  be  careful,  O,  my  children  ?  "  Then 
she  exclaimed — rocking  herself  to  and  fro,  and  wrig 
gling  from  side  to  side  at  the  same  time,  casting 
her  hands  into  the  air,  and  sobbing  wildly — 


The  Rattlesnakes  287 

"  Ayaa  mash  toki  ! 
Ayaa  mash  toki  ! 
Hai!  i  ii  i  /"  ' 

and  fell  in  a  swoon,  still  wriggling,  to  the  ground. 

When  the  old  grandmother  saw  them  coming, 
she  too  said  : 

"  Ayaa  mash  toki ! 

Ayaa  mash  toki ! 

Hai !  i  i  i  /./" 

And  as  one  after  another  in  that  village  saw  the 
little  child,  so  beloved,  brought  home  thus  mutilated 
and  dead,  each  cried  out  as  the  others  had  cried  : 

"  Ayaa  mash  ioki ! 

Ayaa  mash  toki  ! 

Hai!  iiii!" 

and  all  swooned  away  ;  and  the  children  also  who 
were  bringing  the  little  one  joined  in  the  cry  of 
woe,  and  swooned  away.  And  when  they  all  re 
turned  to  life,  behold,  they  could  not  arise,  but 
went  wriggling  along  the  ground,  faintly  crying,  as 
Rattlesnakes  wriggle  and  cry  to  this  day. 

So  you  see  that  once — as  was  the  case  with 
many,  if 'not  all,  of  the  animals — the  Rattlesnakes 
were  a  people,  and  a  splendid  people  too.  There 
fore  we  kill  them  not  needlessly,  nor  waste  the 
lives  even  of  other  animals  without  cause. 

Thus  shortens  my  story. 

1  It  is  impossible  to  translate  this  exclamation,  as  it  is  probably  archaic, 
and  it  is  certainly  the  intention  that  its  meaning  shall  not  be  plain.  Judg 
ing  from  its  etymology,  I  should  think  that  its  meaning  might  be  : 

"  Oh,  alas  !  our  little  maiden  ! 
Oh,  alas  !  our  little  maiden  ! 
Ala-a-a-a-a-s  !  " 


HOW   THE    CORN-PESTS    WERE 
ENSNARED 

TN  the  days  of  the  ancients,  long,  long  ago,  there 
*  lived  in  our  town,  which  was  then  called  the 
Middle  Ant  Hill  of  the  World,  a  proud  maiden, 
very  pretty  and  very  attractive,  the  daughter  of 
one  of  the  richest  men  among  our  people.  She 
had  every  possession  a  Zuni  maiden  could  wish  for, 
—blankets  and  mantles,  embroidered  dresses  and 
sashes,  buckskins  and  moccasins,  turquoise  earrings 
and  shell  necklaces,  bracelets  so  many  you  could 
not  count  them.  She  had  her  father  and  mother, 
brothers  and  sisters,  all  of  whom  she  loved  verymuch. 
Why,  therefore,  should  she  care  for  anything  else  ? 

There  was  only  one  thing  to  trouble  her.  Be 
hold  !  it  came  of  much  possession,  for  she  had 
large  corn-fields,  so  large  and  so  many  that  those 
who  planted  and  worked  them  for  her  could  not 
look  after  them  properly,  and  no  sooner  had  the 
corn  ears  become  full  and  sweet  with  the  milk  of 
their  being  than  all  sorts  of  animals  broke  into 
those  fields  and  pulled  down  the  corn-stalks  and  ate 
up  the  sweet  ears  of  corn.  Now,  how  to  remove 
this  difficulty  the  poor  girl  did  not  know. 

Yes,  now  that  I  think  of  it,  there  was  another 
thing  that  troubled  her  very  much,  fully  as  much 
as  did  the  corn-pests, — pests  of  another  kind,  how 
ever,  for  there  was  n't  an  unmarried  young  man  in 
all  the  valley  of  our  ancients  who  was  not  running 

288 


The  Corn-Pests 

mad  over  the  charms  of  this  girl.  Besides  all  that, 
not  a  few  of  them  had  an  eye  on  so  many  posses 
sions,  and  thought  her  home  would  n't  be  an  un 
comfortable  place  to  live  in.  So  they  never  gave 
the  poor  girl  any  peace,  but  hung  round  her  house, 
and  came  to  visit  her  father  so  constantly  that  at 
last  she  determined  to  put  the  two  pests  together 
and  call  them  one,  and  thereby  get  rid,  if  possible, 
of  one  or  the  other.  So,  when  these  young  men 
were  very  importunate,  she  would  say  to  them, 
"  Look  you  !  if  any  one  of  you  will  go  to  my  corn 
fields,  and  destroy  or  scare  away,  so  that  they  will 
never  come  back  again,  the  pests  that  eat  up  my 
corn,  him  I  will  marry  and  cherish,  for  I  shall  re 
spect  his  ability  and  ingenuity." 

The  young  men  tried  and  tried,  but  it  was  of  no 
use.  Before  long,  everybody  knew  of  this  singular 
proposition. 

There  was  a  young  fellow  who  lived  in  one  of 
the  outer  towns,  the  poorest  of  the  poor  among 
our  people  ;  and  not  only  that,  but  he  was  so  ugly 
that  no  woman  would  ever  look  at  him  without 
laughingl 

Now,  there  are  two  kinds  of  laugh  with  women. 
One  of  them  is  a  very  good  sort  of  thing,  and 
makes  young  men  feel  happy  and  conceited.  The 
other  kind  is  somewhat  heartier,  but  makes  young 
men  feel  depressed  and  very  humble.  It  need  not 
be  asked  which  kind  was  laughed  by  the  women 
when  they  saw  this  ugly,  ragged,  miserable-looking 
young  man.  He  had  bright  twinkling  eyes,  how 
ever,  and  that  means  more  than  all  else  sometimes. 


290  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

Now,  this  young  man  came  to  hear  of  what  was 
going  on.  He  had  no  present  to  offer  the  girl,  but 
he  admired  her  as  much  as — yes,  a  good  deal  more 
than — if  he  had  been  the  handsomest  young  man 
of  his  time.  So  just  in  the  way  that  he  was  he 
went  to  the  house  of  this  girl  one  evening.  He 
was  received  politely,  and  it  was  noticeable  to  the 
old  folks  that  the  girl  seemed  rather  to  like  him,— 
just  as  it  is  noticeable  to  you  and  me  today  that 
what  people  have  they  prize  less  than  what  they 
have  not.  The  girl  placed  a  tray  of  bread  before 
the  young  man  and  bade  him  eat  ;  and  after  he 
had  done,  he  looked  around  with  his  twinkling 
little  eyes.  And  the  old  man  said,  "  Let  us  smoke 
together."  And  so  they  smoked. 

By-and-by  the  old  man  asked  if  he  were  not 
thinking  of  something  in  coming  to  the  house  of  a 
stranger.  And  the  young  man  replied,  it  was  very 
true  ;  he  had  thoughts,  though  he  felt  ashamed  to 
say  it,  but  he  even  wished  to  be  accepted  as  a 
suitor  for  his  daughter. 

The  father  referred  the  matter  to  the  girl,  and 
she  said  she  would  be  very  well  satisfied  ;  then  she 
took  the  young  man  aside  and  spoke  a  few  words 
to  him, — in  fact,  told  him  what  were  the  conditions 
of  his  becoming  her  accepted  husband.  He  smiled, 
and  said  he  would  certainly  try  to  the  best  of  his 
ability,  but  this  was  a  very  hard  thing  she  asked. 

"  I  know  it  is,"  said  the  girl ;   "  that  is  why  I  ask  it." 

Now,  the  young  man  left  the  house  forthwith. 
The  next  day  he  very  quietly  went  down  into  the 
corn-fields  belonging  to  the  girl,  and  over  toward 


The  Corn-Pests  291 

the  northern  mesa,  for  that  is  where  her  corn-fields 
were — lucky  being  !  He  dug  a  great  deep  pit  with 
a  sharp  stick  and  a  bone  shovel.  Now,  when  he 
had  dug  it — very  smooth  at  the  sides  and  top  it 
was — he  went  to  the  mountain  and  got  some  poles, 
placing  them  across  the  hole,  and  over  these  poles 
he  spread  earth,  and  set  up  corn-stalks  just  as 
though  no  hole  had  been  dug  there  ;  then  he  put 
some  exceedingly  tempting  bait,  plenty  of  it,  over 
the  center  of  these  poles,  which  were  so  weak  that 
nobody,  however  light  of  foot,  could  walk  over 
them  without  breaking  through. 

Night  came  on,  and  you  could  hear  the  Coyotes 
begin  to  sing ;  and  the  whole  army  of  pests — Bears, 
Badgers,  Gophers,  all  sorts  of  creatures,  as  they 
came  down  slowly,  each  one  in  his  own  way,  from 
the  mountain.  The  Coyotes  first  came  into  the 
field,  being  swift  of  foot ;  and  one  of  them,  nosing 
around  and  keeping  a  sharp  lookout  for  watchers, 
happened  to  espy  those  wonderfully  tempting  mor 
sels  that  lay  over  the  hole. 

"  Ha  !"  said  he  (Coyotes  don't  think  much  what 
they  are  doing),  and  he  gave  a  leap,  when  in  he 
went — sticks,  dirt,  bait,  and  all — to  the  bottom  of  the 
hole.  He  picked  himself  up  and  rubbed  the  sand 
out  of  his  eyes,  then  began  to  jump  and  jump,  try 
ing  to  get  out ;  but  it  was  of  no  use,  and  he  set  up 
a  most  doleful  howl. 

He  had  just  stopped  for  breath,  when  a  Bear 
came  along.  "  What  in  the  name  of  all  the  devils 
and  witches  are  you  howling  so  for  ? "  said  he. 
"  Where  are  you  ? " 


292  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

The  Coyote  swallowed  his  whimpers  immediately, 
set  himself  up  in  a  careless  attitude,  and  cried  out : 
"  Broadfoot,  lucky,  lucky,  lucky  fellow  !  Did  you 
hear  me  singing?  I  am  the  happiest  creature  on 
the  face  of  the  earth,  or  rather  under  it." 

"  What  about  ?  I  should  n't  think  you  were 
happy,  to  judge  from  your  howling." 

"  Why  !  Mercy  on  me  ! "  cried  the  Coyote,  "  I 
was  singing  for  joy." 

"  How's  that?"  asked  the  Bear. 

"  Why,"  said  the  Coyote,  "  I  came  along  here 
this  evening  and  by  the  merest  accident  fell  into 
this  hole.  And  what  do  you  suppose  I  found  down 
here  ?  Green-corn,  meat,  sweet-stuff,  and  every 
thing  a  corn-eater  could  wish  for.  The  only  thing 
I  lacked  to  complete  my  happiness  was  someone 
to  enjoy  the  meal  with  me.  Jump  in  ! — it  is  n't  very 
deep — and  fall  to,  friend.  We  '11  have  a  jolly  good 
night  of  it." 

So  the  old  Bear  looked  down,  drew  back  a  minute, 
hesitated,  and  then  jumped  in.  When  the  Bear  got 
down  there,  the  Coyote  laid  himself  back,  slapped 
his  thighs,  and  laughed  and  laughed  and  laughed. 
"  Now,  get  out  if  you  can,"  said  he  to  the  Bear. 
u  You  and  I  are  in  a  pretty  mess.  I  fell  in  here  by 
accident,  it  is  true,  but  I  would  give  my  teeth  and 
eyes  if  I  could  get  out  again  ! " 

The  Bear  came  very  near  eating  him  up,  but  the 
Coyote  whispered  something  in  his  ear.  "  Good  !  " 
yelled  the  Bear.  "  Ha  !  ha  !  ha  !  Excellent  idea  ! 
Let  us  sing  together.  Let  them  come  ! " 

So  they  laughed  and  sang  and  feasted  until  they 


The  Corn-Pests  293 

attracted  almost  every  corn-pest  in  the  fields  to  the 
spot  to  see  what  they  were  doing.  "  Keep  away, 
my  friends,"  cried  out  the  Coyote.  "  No  such  luck 
for  you.  We  got  here  first.  Our  spoils  !  " 

"Can  't  I  come?"  "  Can  't  I  come?"  cried  out 
one  after  another. 

"  Well,  yes, — no, — there  may  not  be  enough  for 
you  all."  "  Come  on,  though ;  come  on !  who 
cares  ? " — cried  out  the  old  Bear.  And  they  rushed 
in  so  fast  that  very  soon  the  pit-hole  was  almost  full 
of  them,  scrambling  to  get  ahead  of  one  another,  and 
before  they  knew  their  predicament  they  were  al 
ready  in  it  The  Coyote  laughed,  shuffled  around, 
and  screamed  at  the  top  of  his  voice  ;  he  climbed 
up  over  his  grandfather  the  Bear,  scrambled  through 
the  others,  which  were  snarling  and  biting  each 
other,  and,  knowing  what  he  was  about,  skipped 
over  their  backs,  out  of  the  hole,  and  ran  away 
laughing  as  hard  as  he  could. 

Now,  the  next  morning  down  to  the  corn-field 
came  the  young  man.  Drawing  near  to  the  pit  he 
heard  a  tremendous  racket,  and  going  to  the  edge 
and  peering  in  he  saw  that  it  was  half  filled  with 
the  pests  which  had  been  destroying  the  corn  of 
the  maiden, — every  kind  of  creature  that  had  ever 
meddled  with  the  corn-fields  of  man,  there  they 
were  in  that  deep  pit  ;  some  of  them  all  tired  out, 
waiting  for  "the  end  of  their  daylight,"  others  still 
jumping  and  crawling  and  falling  in  their  efforts  to 
get  out. 

"  Good  !  good  !  my  friends,"  cried  the  young 
man.  "  You  must  be  cold  ;  I  '11  warm  you  up  a 


294  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

little."  So  he  gathered  a  quantity  of  dry  wood  and 
threw  it  into  the  pit.  "  Be  patient !  be  patient !  " 
said  he.  "  I  hope  I  don't  hurt  any  of  you.  It  will 
be  all  over  in  a  few  minutes."  Then  he  lighted 
the  wood  and  burned  the  rascals  all  up.  But  he 
noticed  the  Coyote  was  not  there.  "  What  does  it 
matter?"  said  he.  "One  kind  of  pest  a  man  can 
fight,  but  not  many." 

So  he  went  back  to  the  house  of  the  girl  and  re 
ported  to  her  what  he  had  done.  She  was  so 
pleased  she  hardly  knew  how  to  express  her  grati 
tude,  but  said  to  the  young  man  with  a  smile  on 
her  face  and  a  twinkle  in  her  eye,  "  Are  you  quite 
sure  they  were  all  there  ?  " 

"  Why,  they  were  all  there  except  the  Coyote," 
said  the  young  man  ;  "  but  I  must  tell  you  the  truth, 
and  somehow  he  got  out  or  did  n't  get  in." 

"  Who  cares  for  a  Coyote  ! "  said  the  girl.  "  I 
would  much  rather  marry  a  man  with  some  ingenu 
ity  about  him  than  have  all  the  Coyotes  in  the 
world  to  kill."  Whereupon  she  accepted  this  very 
ugly  but  ingenious  young  man  ;  and  it  is  notable 
that  ever  since  then  pretty  girls  care  very  little  how 
their  husbands  look,  being  pretty  enough  them 
selves  for  both.  But  they  like  to  have  them  able 
to  think  and  guess  at  a  way  of  getting  along  occa 
sionally.  Furthermore,  what  does  a  rich  girl  care 
for  a  rich  young  man  ?  Ever  since  then,  even  to 
this  day,  as  you  know,  rich  girls  almost  invariably 
pick  out  poor  young  men  for  their  husbands,  and 
rich  young  men  are  sure  to  take  a  fancy  to  poor 
girls. 


The  Corn-Pests 


295 


Thus  it  was  in  the  days  of  the  ancients.  The 
Coyote  got  out  of  the  trap  that  was  set  for  him  by 
the  ugly  young  man.  That  is  the  reason  why 
coyotes  are  so  much  more  abundant  than  any  other 
corn-pests  in  the  land  of  Zuni,  and  do  what  you 
will,  they  are  sure  to  get  away  with  some  of  your 
corn,  anyhow. 

Thus  shortens  my  story. 


JACK-RABBIT  AND  COTTONTAIL 


A  NCIENTLY  the  Jack-rabbit  lived  in  a  sage 
**•  plain,  and  the  Cottontail  rabbit  lived  in  a 
cliff  hard  by.  They  saw  the  clouds  gather,  so  they 
went  out  to  sing.  The  long-legged  Jack-rabbit 
sang  for  snow,  thus  : 

"  U  pi  na  wi  sho,  U  pi  na  wi  sho, 
U  kuk  uku  u  kuk  !  " 

But  the  short-legged  Cottontail  sang  for  rain,  like 

this  : 

"  Hatchi  ethla  ho  na  an  saia." 

That  's  what  they  sung — one  asking  for  snow, 
the  other  for  rain  ;  hence  to  this  day  the  Pok'ia 
(Jack- rabbit)  runs  when  it  snows,  the  A'kshiko 
(Cottontail)  when  it  rains. 

Thus  shortens  my  story. 


296 


THE  RABBIT  HUNTRESS  AND   HER 
ADVENTURES 

IT  was  long  ago,  in  the  days  of  the  ancients,  that 
a  poor  maiden  lived  at  K'yawana  Tehua-tsana 
("  Little  Gateway  of  Zuni  River  ").  You  know  there 
are  black  stone  walls  of  houses  standing  there  on 
the  tops  of  the  cliffs  of  lava,  above  the  narrow 
place  through  which  the  river  runs,  to  this  day. 

In  one  of  these  houses  there  lived  this  poor 
maiden  alone  with  her  feeble  old  father  and  her 
aged  mother.  She  was  unmarried,  and  her  brothers 
had  all  been  killed  in  wars,  or  had  died  gently ;  so  the 
family  lived  there  helplessly,  so  far  as  many  things 
were  concerned,  from  the  lack  of  men  in  their  house. 

It  is  true  that  in  making  the  gardens — the  little 
plantings  of  beans,  pumpkins,  squashes,  melons,  and 
corn — the  maiden  was  able  to  do  very  well ;  and 
thus  mainly  on  the  products  of  these  things  the 
family  were  supported.  But,  as  in  those  days  of 
our  ancients  we  had  neither  sheep  nor  cattle,  the 
hunt  was  depended  upon  to  supply  the  meat ;  or 
sometimes  it  was  procured  by  barter  of  the  pro 
ducts  of  the  fields  to  those  who  hunted  mostly. 
Of  these  things  this  little  family  had  barely  enough 
for  their  own  subsistence  ;  hence,  they  could  not 
procure  their  supplies  of  meat  in  this  way. 

Long  before,  it  had  been  a  great  house,  for 
many  were  the  brave  and  strong  young  men  who 
had  lived  in  it ;  but  the  rooms  were  now  empty,  or 

297 


298  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

at  best  contained  only  the  leavings  of  those  who 
had  lived  there,  much  used  and  worn  out. 

One  autumn  day,  near  winter-time,  snow  fell,  and 
it  became  very  cold.  The  maiden  had  gathered 
brush  and  firewood  in  abundance,  and  it  was  piled 
along  the  roof  of  the  house  and  down  underneath 
the  ladder  which  descended  from  the  top.  She 
saw  the  young  men  issue  forth  the  next  morning  in 
great  numbers,  their  feet  protected  by  long  stock 
ings  of  deerskin,  the  fur  turned  inward,  and  they 
carried  on  their  shoulders  and  stuck  in  their  belts 
stone  axes  and  rabbit-sticks.  As  she  gazed  at  them 
from  the  roof,  she  said  to  herself :  "  O  that  I  were 
a  man  and  could  go  forth,  as  do  these  young  men, 
hunting  rabbits  !  Then  my  poor  old  mother  and 
father  would  not  lack  for  flesh  with  which  to  duly 
season  their  food  and  nourish  their  lean  bodies." 
Thus  ran  her  thoughts,  and  before  night,  as  she 
saw  these  same  young  men  coming  in,  one  after 
another,  some  of  them  bringing  long  strings  of 
rabbits,  others  short  ones,  but  none  of  them  empty- 
handed,  she  decided  that,  woman  though  she  was, 
she  would  set  forth  on  the  morrow  to  try  what 
luck  she  might  find  in  the  killing  of  rabbits  herself. 

It  may  seem  strange  that,  although  this  maiden 
was  beautiful  and  young,  the  youths  did  not  give 
her  some  of  their  rabbits.  But  their  feelings  were 
not  friendly,  for  no  one  of  them  would  she  accept 
as  a  husband,  although  one  after  another  of  them 
had  offered  himself  for  marriage. 

Fully  resolved,  the  girl  that  evening  sat  down  by 
the  fireplace,  and  turning  toward  her  aged  parents, 


The  Rabbit  Huntress  299 

said  :  "  O  my  mother  and  father,  I  see  that  the 
snow  has  fallen,  whereby  easily  rabbits  are  tracked, 
and  the  young  men  who  went  out  this  morning  re 
turned  long  before  evening  heavily  laden  with 
strings  of  this  game.  Behold,  in  the  other  rooms 
of  our  house  are  many  rabbit-sticks,  and  there  hang 
on  the  walls  stone  axes,  and  with  these  I  might 
perchance  strike  down  a  rabbit  on  his  trail,  or,  if  he 
run  into  a  log,  split  the  log  and  dig  him  out.  So  I 
have  thought  during  the  day,  and  have  decided  to 
go  tomorrow  and  try  my  fortunes  in  the  hunt, 
woman  though  I  be.'* 

"  Naiya,  my  daughter,"  quavered  the  feeble  old 
mother  ;  "  you  would  surely  be  very  cold,  or  you 
would  lose  your  way,  or  grow  so  tired  that  you 
could  not  return  before  night,  and  you  must  not  go 
out  to  hunt  rabbits,  woman  as  you  are." 

"  Why,  certainly  not,"  insisted  the  old  man,  rub 
bing  his  lean  knees  and  shaking  his  head  over  the 
days  that  were  gone.  "  No,  no  ;  let  us  live  in  pov 
erty  rather  than  that  you  should  run  such  risks  as 
these,  O  my  daughter." 

But,  say  what  they  would,  the  girl  was  deter 
mined.  And  the  old  man  said  at  last :  "  Very 
well !  You  will  not  be  turned  from  your  course. 
Therefore,  O  daughter,  I  will  help  you  as  best  I 
may."  He  hobbled  into  another  room,  and  found 
there  some  old  deerskins  covered  thickly  with  fur ; 
and  drawing  them  out,  he  moistened  and  carefully 
softened  them,  and  cut  out  for  the  maiden  long 
stockings,  which  he  sewed  up  with  sinew  and  the 
fiber  of  the  yucca  leaf.  Then  he  selected  for  her 


300  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

from  among  the  old  possessions  of  his  brothers  and 
sons,  who  had  been  killed  or  perished  otherwise,  a 
number  of  rabbit-sticks  and  a  fine,  heavy  stone  axe. 
Meanwhile,  the  old  woman  busied  herself  in  prepar 
ing1  a  lunch  for  the  girl,  which  was  composed  of 
little  cakes  of  corn-meal,  spiced  with  pepper  and 
wild  onions,  pierced  through  the  middle,  and  baked 
in  the  ashes.  When  she  had  made  a  long  string  of 
these  by  threading  them  like  beads  on  a  rope  of 
yucca  fiber,  she  laid  them  down  not  far  from  the 
ladder  on  a  little  bench,  with  the  rabbit-sticks,  the 
stone  axe,  and  the  deerskin  stockings. 

That  night  the  maiden  planned  and  planned,  and 
early  on  the  following  morning,  even  before  the 
young  men  had  gone  out  from  the  town,  she  had 
put  on  a  warm,  short-skirted  dress,  knotted  a  mantle 
over  her  shoulder  and  thrown  another  and  larger 
one  over  her  back,  drawn  on  the  deerskin  stockings, 
had  thrown  the  string  of  corn-cakes  over  her  shoul- 

o 

der,  stuck  the  rabbit-sticks  in  her  belt,  and  carrying 
the  stone  axe  in  her  hand  sallied  forth  eastward 
through  the  Gateway  of  Zuni  and  into  the  plain  of 
the  valley  beyond,  called  the  Plain  of  the  Burnt 
River,  on  account  of  the  black,  roasted-looking 
rocks  along  some  parts  of  its  sides.  Dazzlingly 
white  the  snow  stretched  out  before  her, — not  deep, 
but  unbroken, — and  when  she  came  near  the  cliffs 
with  many  little  canons  in  them,  along  the  northern 
side  of  the  valley,  she  saw  many  a  trail  of  rabbits 
running  out  and  in  among  the  rocks  and  between 
the  bushes. 

Warm  and  excited  by  her  unwonted  exercise,  she 


The  Rabbit  Huntress 

did  not  heed  a  coming  snow-storm,  but  ran  about 
from  one  place  to  another,  following  the  trails  of 
the  rabbits,  sometimes  up  into  the  canons,  where 
the  forests  of  pinon  and  cedar  stood,  and  where 
here  and  there  she  had  the  good  fortune  sometimes 
to  run  two,  three,  or  four  rabbits  into  a  single  hol 
low  log.  It  was  little  work  to  split  these  logs,  for 
they  were  small,  as  you  know,  and  to  dig  out  the 
rabbits  and  slay  them  by  a  blow  of  the  hand  on 
the  nape  of  the  neck,  back  of  the  ears  ;  and  as  she 
killed  each  rabbit  she  raised  it  reverently  to  her 
lips,  and  breathed  from  its  nostrils  its  expiring 
breath,  and,  tying  its  legs  together,  placed  it  on  the 
string,  which  after  a  while  began  to  grow  heavy 
on  her  shoulders.  Still  she  kept  on,  little  heeding 
the  snow  which  was  falling  fast ;  nor  did  she  notice 
that  it  was  growing  darker  and  darker,  so  intent 
was  she  on  the  hunt,  and  so  glad  was  she  to  capture 
so  many  rabbits.  Indeed,  she  followed  the  trails 
until  they  were  no  longer  visible,  as  the  snow  fell 
all  around  her,  thinking  all  the  while  : "  How  happy 
will  be  my  poor  old  father  and  mother  that  they 
shall  now  have  flesh  to  eat !  How  strong  will  they 
grow  !  And  when  this  meat  is  gone,  that  which  is 
dried  and  preserved  of  it  also,  lo  !  another  snow 
storm  will  no  doubt  come,  and  I  can  go  out  hunt 
ing  again." 

At  last  the  twilight  came,  and,  looking  around, 
she  found  that  the  snow  had  fallen  deeply,  there 
was  no  trail,  and  that  she  had  lost  her  way.  True, 
she  turned  about  and  started  in  the  direction  of 
her  home,  as  she  supposed,  walking  as  fast  as 


302  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

she  could  through  the  soft,  deep  snow.  Yet  she 
reckoned  not  rightly,  for  instead  of  going  eastward 
along  the  valley,  she  went  southward  across  it, 
and  entering  the  mouth  of  the  Descending  Plain 
of  the  Pines,  she  went  on  and  on,  thinking  she  was 
going  homeward,  until  at  last  it  grew  dark  and 
she  knew  not  which  way  to  turn. 

"  What  harm,"  thought  she,  "  if  I  find  a  shel 
tered  place  among  the  rocks  ?  What  harm  if  I  re 
main  all  night,  and  go  home  in  the  morning  when 
the  snow  has  ceased  falling,  and  by  the  light  I 
shall  know  my  way  ?  " 

So  she  turned  about  to  some  rocks  which  ap 
peared,  black  and  dim,  a  short  distance  away.  For 
tunately,  among  these  rocks  is  the  cave  which  is 
known  as  Taiuma's  Cave.  This  she  came  to,  and 
peering  into  that  black  hole,  she  saw  in  it,  back 
some  distance,  a  little  glowing  light.  "  Ha,  ha  ! " 
thought  she  ;  "  perhaps  some  rabbit-hunters  like 
myself,  belated  yesterday,  passed  the  night  here 
and  left  the  fire  burning.  If  so,  this  is  greater 
good  fortune  than  I  could  have  looked  for."  So, 
lowering  the  string  of  rabbits  which  she  carried  on 
her  shoulder,  and  throwing  off  her  mantle,  she 
crawled  in,  peering  well  into  the  darkness,  for  fear 
of  wild  beasts  ;  then,  returning,  she  drew  in  the 
string  of  rabbits  and  the  mantle. 

Behold  !  there  was  a  bed  of  hot  coals  buried  in 
the  ashes  in  the  very  middle  of  the  cave,  and  piled 
up  on  one  side  were  fragments  of  broken  wood. 
The  girl,  happy  in  her  good  fortune,  issued  forth 
and  gathered  more  sticks  from  the  cliff-side,  where 


The  Rabbit  Huntress  303 

dead  pinons  are  found  in  great  numbers,  and  bring 
ing  them  in  little  armfuls  one  after  another,  she 
finally  succeeded  in  gathering  a  store  sufficient  to 
keep  the  fire  burning  brightly  all  the  night  through. 
Then  she  drew  off  her  snow-covered  stockings  of 
deerskin  and  the  bedraggled  mantles,  and,  building 
a  fire,  hung  them  up  to  dry  and  sat  down  to  rest 
herself.  The  fire  burned  up  and  glowed  brightly, 
so  that  the  whole  cave  was  as  light  as  a  room  at 
night  when  a  dance  is  being  celebrated.  By-and-by, 
after  her  clothing  had  dried,  she  spread  a  mantle  on 
the  floor  of  the  cave  by  the  side  of  the  fire,  and, 
sitting  down,  dressed  one  of  her  rabbits  and  roasted 
it,  and,  untying  the  string  of  corn-cakes  her  mother 
had  made  for  her,  feasted  on  the  roasted  meat 
and  cakes. 

She  had  just  finished  her  evening  meal,  and  was 
about  to  recline  and  watch  the  fire  for  awhile, 
when  she  heard  away  off  in  the  distance  a  long, 
low  cry  of  distress — "  Ho-o-o-o  thlaia-a  !  " 

"  Ah  !  "  thought  the  girl,  "  someone,  more  be 
lated  than  myself,  is  lost  ;  doubtless  one  of  the 
rabbit-hunters."  She  got  up,  and  went  nearer  to 
the  entrance  of  the  cavern. 

"  Ho-o-o-o  thlaia-a ! "  sounded  the  cry,  nearer 
this  time.  She  ran  out,  and,  as  it  was  repeated 
again,  she  placed  her  hand  to  her  mouth,  and  cried, 
woman  though  she  was,  as  loudly  as  possible  : 
"  Li-i  Maia-a  !  "  ("  Here  !  ") 

The  cry  was  repeated  near  at  hand,  and  presently 
the  maiden,  listening  first,  and  then  shouting,  and 
listening  again ,  heard  the  clatter  of  an  enormous 


304  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

rattle.  In  dismay  and  terror  she  threw  her  hands 
into  the  air,  and,  crouching  down,  rushed  into  the 
cave  and  retreated  to  its  farthest  limits,  where  she 
sat  shuddering  with  fear,  for  she  knew  that  one 
of  the  Cannibal  Demons  of  those  days,  perhaps  the 
renowned  Atahsaia  of  the  east,  had  seen  the  light 
of  her  fire  through  the  cave  entrance,  with  his 
terrible  staring  eyes,  and  assuming  it  to  be  a  lost 
wanderer,  had  cried  out,  and  so  led  her  to  guide 
him  to  her  place  of  concealment. 

On  came  the  Demon,  snapping  the  twigs  under 
his  feet  and  shouting  in  a  hoarse,  loud  voice  :  "Ho 
lithlsh  td  iine!"  ("  Ho,  there!  So  you  are  in 
here,  are  you  ?")  Kothl /  clanged  his  rattle,  while, 
almost  fainting  with  terror,  closer  to  the  rock 
crouched  the  maiden. 

The  old  Demon  came  to  the  entrance  of  the 
cave  and  bawled  out :  "  I  am  cold,  I  am  hungry  ! 
Let  me  in  !  "  Without  further  ado,  he  stooped 
and  tried  to  get  in  ;  but,  behold  !  the  entrance  was 
too  small  for  his  giant  shoulders  to  pass.  Then 
he  pretended  to  be  wonderfully  civil,  and  said  : 
"  Come  out,  and  bring  me  something  to  eat." 

"  I  have  nothing  for  you,"  cried  the  maiden. 
"  I  have  eaten  my  food." 

"  Have  you  no  rabbits  ?" 

"  Yes." 

"  Come  out  and  bring  me  some  of  them." 

But  the  maiden  was  so  terrified  that  she  dared 
not  move  toward  the  entrance. 

"  Throw  me  a  rabbit ! "  shouted  the  old  Demon. 

The   maiden   threw   him    one   of    her   precious 


The  Rabbit  Huntress  305 

rabbits  at  last,  when  she  could  rise  and  go  to  it. 
He  clutched  it  with  his  long,  horny  hand,  gave 
one  gulp  and  swallowed  it.  Then  he  cried  out : 
"  Throw  me  another  ! "  She  threw  him  another, 
which  he  also  immediately  swallowed  ;  and  so  on 
until  the  poor  maiden  had  thrown  all  the  rabbits 
to  the  voracious  old  monster.  Every  one  she 
threw  him  he  caught  in  his  huge,  yellow-tusked 
mouth,  and  swallowed,  hair  and  all,  at  one  gulp. 

"  Throw  me  another ! "  cried  he,  when  the  last 
had  already  been  thrown  to  him. 

So  the  poor  maiden  was  forced  to  say  :  "  I  have 
no  more." 

"  Throw  me  your  overshoes  ! "  cried  he. 

She  threw  the  overshoes  of  deerskin,  and  these 
like  the  rabbits  he  speedily  devoured.  Then  he 
called  for  her  moccasins,  and  she  threw  them ;  for 
her  belt,  and  she  threw  it  ;  and  finally,  wonderful 
to  tell,  she  threw  even  her  mantle,  and  blanket,  and 
her  overdress,  until,  behold,  she  had  nothing  left ! 

Now,  with  all  he  had  eaten,  the  old  Demon  was 
swollen  hugely  at  the  stomach,  and,  though  he 
tried  and  tried  to  squeeze  himself  through  the 
mouth  of  the  cave,  he  could  not  by  any  means 
succeed.  Finally,  lifting  his  great  flint  axe,  he 
began  to  shatter  the  rock  about  the  entrance  to 
the  cave,  and  slowly  but  surely  he  enlarged  the 
hole  and  the  maiden  now  knew  that  as  soon  as  he 
could  get  in  he  would  devour  her  also,  and  she 
almost  fainted  at  the  sickening  thought.  Pound, 
pound,  pound,  pound,  went  the  great  axe  of  the 
Demon  as  he  struck  the  rocks. 


306  Zufii  Folk  Tales 

In  the  distance  the  two  War-gods  were  sitting 
in  their  home  at  Thla-uthla  (the  Shrine  amid  the 
Bushes)  beyond  Thunder  Mountain,  and  though 
far  off,  they  heard  thus  in  the  middle  of  the  night 
the  pounding  of  the  Demon's  hammer-axe  against 
the  rocks.  And  of  course  they  knew  at  once  that 
a  poor  maiden,  for  the  sake  of  her  father  and 
mother,  had  been  out  hunting, — that  she  had  lost 
her  way  and,  finding  a  cave  where  there  was  a  little 
fire,  entered  it,  rebuilt  the  fire,  and  rested  herself ; 
that,  attracted  by  the  light  of  her  fire,  the  Cannibal 
Demon  had  come  and  besieged  her  retreat,  and 
only  a  little  time  hence  would  he  so  enlarge  the 
entrance  to  the  cave  that  he  could  squeeze  even 
his  great  over-filled  paunch  through  it  and  come 
at  the  maiden  to  destroy  her.  So,  catching  up 
their  wonderful  weapons,  these  two  War-gods 
flew  away  into  the  darkness  and  in  no  time  they 
were  approaching  the  Descending  Plain  of  the 
Pines. 

Just  as  the  Demon  was  about  to  enter  the  cavern, 
and  the  maiden  had  fainted  at  seeing  his  huge  face 
and  gray  shock  of  hair  and  staring  eyes,  his  yel 
low,  protruding  tusks,  and  his  horny,  taloned  hand, 
they  came  upon  the  old  beast,  and,  each  one  hit 
ting  him  a  welt  with  his  war-club,  they  "  ended  his 
daylight,"  and  then  hauled  him  forth  into  the  open 
space.  They  opened  his  huge  paunch  and  with 
drew  from  it  the  maiden's  garments,  and  even  the 
rabbits  which  had  been  slain.  The  rabbits  they 
cast  away  amongst  the  soap-weed  plants  that  grew 
on  the  slope  at  the  foot  of  the  cliff.  The  gar- 


The  Rabbit  Huntress  307 

ments  they  spread  out  on  the  snow,  and  by  their 
knowledge  cleansed  and  made  them  perfect,  even 
more  perfect  than  they  had  been  before.  Then, 
flinging  the  huge  body  of  the  giant  Demon  down 
into  the  depths  of  the  canon,  they  turned  them 
about  and,  calling  out  gentle  words  to  the  maiden, 
entered  and  restored  her  ;  and  she,  seeing  in  them 
not  their  usual  ugly  persons,  but  handsome  youths 
(as  like  to  one  another  as  are  two  deer  born  of 
the  same  mother),  was  greatly  comforted ;  and 
bending  low,  and  breathing  upon  their  hands, 
thanked  them  over  and  over  for  the  rescue  they 
had  brought  her.  But  she  crouched  herself  low 
with  shame  that  her  garments  were  but  few,  when, 
behold  !  the  youths  went  out  and  brought  in  to  her 
the  garments  they  had  cleaned  by  their  knowledge, 
restoring  them  to  her. 

Then,  spreading  their  mantles  by  the  door  of  the 
cave,  they  slept  there  that  night,  in  order  to  pro 
tect  the  maiden,  and  on  the  morrow  wakened  her. 
They  told  her  many  things,  and  showed  her  many 
things  which  she  had  not  known  before,  and  coun 
selled  her  thus  :  "  It  is  not  fearful  that  a  maiden 
should  marry ;  therefore,  O  maiden,  return  unto 
thy  people  in  the  Village  of  the  Gateway  of  the 
River  of  Zufii.  This  morning  we  will  slay  rabbits 
unnumbered  for  you,  and  start  you  on  your  way, 
guarding  you  down  the  snow-covered  valley,  and 
when  you  are  in  sight  of  your  home  we  will  leave 
you,  telling  you  our  names." 

So,  early  in  the  morning  the  two  gods  went  forth  ; 
and  flinging  their  sticks  among  the  soap-weed 


308  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

plants,  behold  !  as  though  the  soap-weed  plants 
were  rabbits,  so  many  lay  killed  on  the  snow 
before  these  mighty  hunters.  And  they  gath 
ered  together  great  numbers  of  these  rabbits,  a 
string  for  each  one  of  the  party  ;  and  when  the 
Sun  had  risen  clearer  in  the  sky,  and  his  light 
sparkled  on  the  snow  around  them,  they  took  the 
rabbits  to  the  maiden  and  presented  them,  saying : 
"  We  will  carry  each  one  of  us  a  string  of  these 
rabbits."  Then  taking  her  hand,  they  led  her  out 
of  the  cave  and  down  the  valley,  until,  beyond  on 
the  high  black  mesas  at  the  Gateway  of  the  River 
of  Zuni,  she  saw  the  smoke  rise  from  the  houses 
of  her  village.  Then  turned  the  two  War-gods 
to  her,  and  they  told  her  their  names.  And  again 
she  bent  low,  and  breathed  on  their  hands.  Then, 
dropping  the  strings  of  rabbits  which  they  had 
carried  close  beside  the  maiden,  they  swiftly 
disappeared. 

Thinking  much  of  all  she  had  learned,  she  con 
tinued  her  way  to  the  home  of  her  father  and 
mother  ;  and  as  she  went  into  the  town,  stagger 
ing  under  her  load  of  rabbits,  the  young  men  and 
the  old  men  and  women  and  children  beheld  her 
with  wonder  ;  and  no  hunter  in  that  town  thought 
of  comparing  himself  with  the  Maiden  Huntress 
of  K'yawana  Tehua-tsana.  The  old  man  and  the 
old  woman,  who  had  mourned  the  night  through 
and  sat  up  anxiously  watching,  were  overcome 
with  happiness  when  they  saw  their  daughter  re 
turning  ;  and  as  she  laid  the  rabbits  at  their  feet, 
she  said  :  "  Behold  !  my  father  and  my  mother, 


The  Rabbit  Huntress  309 

foolish  have  I  been,  and  much  danger  have  I 
passed  through,  because  I  forgot  the  ways  of  a 
woman  and  assumed  the  ways  of  a  man.  But  two 
wondrous  youths  have  taught  me  that  a  woman 
may  be  a  huntress  and  yet  never  leave  her  own 
fireside.  Behold  !  I  will  marry,  when  some  good 
youth  comes  to  me,  and  he  will  hunt  rabbits  and 
deer  for  me,  for  my  parents  and  my  children." 

So,  one  day,  when  one  of  those  youths  who  had 
seen  her  come  in  laden  with  rabbits,  and  who 
had  admired  her  time  out  of  mind,  presented  him 
self  with  a  bundle  at  the  maiden's  fireside,  behold  ! 
she  smilingly  and  delightedly  accepted  him.  And 
from  that  day  to  this,  when  women  would  hunt 
rabbits  or  deer,  they  marry,  and  behold,  the  rabbits 
and  deer  are  hunted. 

Thus  shortens  my  story. 


THE    UGLY    WILD    BOY    WHO    DROVE 
THE   BEAR  AWAY  FROM  SOUTH 
EASTERN    MESA 

IN  the  days  of  the  ancients  there  lived  with  his 
old  grandmother,  not  far  from  K'iakime,  east, 
where  the  sweet  wafer-bread  is  pictured  on  the 
rocks,  a  frightfully  ugly  boy.  The  color  of  his 
body  and  face  was  blue.  He  had  a  twisted  nose, 
crooked  scars  of  various  colors  ran  down  each  side 
of  his  face,  and  he  had  a  bunch  of  red  things  like 
peppers  on  his  head  ;  in  fact,  in  all  ways  he  re 
sembled  the  Hthea,  or  the  wild  men  of  the  Sacred 
Dance  who  serve  as  runners  to  the  priest-clowns. 

Now,  one  season  it  had  rained  so  much  that  the 
pinon  trees  were  laden  with  nuts,  and  the  datilas 
were  heavy  with  fruit,  and  the  gray  grass  and  red- 
top  were  so  heavy  with  seeds  that  even  when  the 
wind  did  not  blow  they  bent  as  if  in  a  breeze. 

In  vain  the  people  of  K'iakime  went  to  the 
Southeastern  Mesa,  where  the  nut  trees  and  datilas 
and  grass  grew.  They  could  not  gather  the  nuts 
and  the  fruit  and  the  seeds,  because  of  the  ugly 
old  Bear  who  claimed  the  country  and  its  products 
for  his  own,  and  waxed  fat  thereon.  Some  of  the 
people  were  killed  by  him,  others  were  maimed, 
and  all  the  rest  were  driven  away. 

One  day  the  ugly  little  boy  said  to  his  grand 
mother:  "  O  grandmother,  I  am  going  out  to  gather 
datilas  and  pinon  nuts  on  the  Southeastern  Mesa." 

310 


The  Ugly  Wild  Boy  311 

"  Child,  child!"  cried  the  grandmother,  "  do 
not  go  ;  do  not,  by  any  means,  go  !  You  know 
very  well  there  is  an  ugly  Bear  there  who  will  either 
kill  you  or  maim  you  frightfully." 

"  I  don't  care  for  all  that !  "  cried  the  boy  ;  "  I 
am  going  !"  Whereupon  he  went. 

He  followed  the  trail  called  the  Road  of  the 
Pending  Meal-sack,  and  he  climbed  the  crooked 
path  up  Shoyakoskwe  (Southeastern  Mesa),  and 
advanced  over  the  wide  plateau.  No  sooner  had 
he  begun  to  pluck  the  sweet  datila  fruit  and  eat  of 
it,  and  had  cracked  between  his  teeth  an  occasional 
pifton  nut,  than  "  Wha-a-a-a  !  "  snarled  the  old  Bear  ; 
and  he  came  rushing  out  of  the  nearest  thicket 
toward  the  boy. 

"  U  shoma  kutchi  kihe !  "  shouted  the  boy. 
"  Friend,  friend,  don't  bite  me  !  It  '11  hurt !  Don't 
bite  me  !  I  came  to  make  a  bargain  with  you." 

"  I  'd  like  to  know  why  I  should  n't  bite  you  !  " 
growled  the  Bear.  "  I  '11  tear  you  to  pieces. 
What  have  you  come  to  my  country  for,  stealing 
my  fruit  and  nuts  and  grass-seed  ?  " 

"  I  came  to  get  something  to  eat,"  replied  the 
boy.  "  You  have  plenty." 

"  Indeed,  I  have  not.  I  will  let  you  pick 
nothing.  I  will  tear  you  to  pieces ! "  said  the 
Bear. 

"  Don't,  don't,  and  I  will  make  a  bargain  with 
you,"  said  the  boy. 

"  Who  should  talk  of  bargains  to  me  ?  "  yelled 
the  Bear,  cracking  a  small  pine-tree  to  pieces  with 
his  paws  and  teeth,  so  great  was  his  rage. 


312  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

"  These  things  are  no  more  yours  than  mine," 
said  the  boy,  "and  I  '11  prove  it." 

"  How  ?"  asked  the  Bear. 

"  They  are  mine  ;  they  are  not  yours !  "  cried 
the  boy. 

"  They  are  mine,  I  tell  you  !  They  are  not 
yours  !  "  replied  the  Bear. 

"  They  are  mine  ! "  retorted  the  boy. 

And  so  they  might  have  wrangled  till  sunset,  or 
torn  one  another  into  pieces,  had  it  not  been  for  a 
suggestion  that  the  boy  made. 

"  Look  here  !  I  '11  make  a  proposition  to  you," 
said  he. 

"  What  's  that  ?  asked  the  Bear. 

"  Whoever  is  certain  of  his  rights  on  this  plateau 
and  the  things  that  grow  on  it  must  prove  it  by  not 
being  scared  by  anything  that  the  other  does,"  said 
the  boy. 

"  Ha,  ha !  "  laughed  the  Bear,  in  his  big,  coarse 
voice.  "  That  is  a  good  plan,  indeed.  I  am  per 
fectly  willing  to  stand  the  test." 

"  Well,  now,  one  of  us  must  run  away  and 
hide,"  said  the  boy,  "  and  then  the  other  must 
come  on  him  unaware  in  some  way  and  frighten 
him,  if  he  can." 

"  All  right,"  said  the  Bear.     "  Who  first  ?  " 

"  Just  as  you  say,"  said  the  boy. 

"Well,  then,  I  will  try  you  first,"  said  the  Bear, 
"  for  this  place  belongs  to  me."  Whereupon  he 
turned  and  fled  into  the  thicket.  And  the  boy 
went  around  picking  datilas  and  eating  them,  and 
throwing  the  skins  away.  Presently  the  Bear 


The  Ugly  Wild  Boy  313 

came  rushing  out  of  the  thicket,  snapping  the 
trees  and  twigs,  and  throwing  them  about  at  such  a 
rate  that  you  would  have  thought  there  was  a  sand 
storm  raging  through  the  forest. 

"  Ku  hai  yaau  ! 
Ku  pekwia  nu  ! 

Ha  !  ha  !  ha  !  haaaa  .'" 

he  exclaimed,  rushing  at  the  boy  from  the  rear. 

The  boy  stirred  never  so  much  as  a  leaf,  only 
kept  on  champing  his  datilas. 

Again  the  Bear  retired,  and  again  he  came 
rushing  forth  and  snarling  out  :  "  Ha  !  ha  !  ha  / 
hu  !  hu  !  hu  !  "  in  a  terrific  voice,  and  grabbed  the 
boy  ;  but  never  so  much  as  the  boy's  heart  stirred. 

"  By  my  senses  !  "  exclaimed  the  Bear  ;  "  you  are 
a  man,  and  I  must  give  it  up.  Now,  suppose 
you  try  me.  I  can  stand  as  much  frightening 
as  you,  and,  unless  you  can  frighten  me,  I  tell  you 
you  must  keep  away  from  my  datila  and  pinon 
patch." 

Then  the  boy  turned  on  his  heel  and  fled  away 
toward  his  grandmother's  house,  singing  as  he 
went : 

"Kuyaina  itoshlakyanaa  f 
Kuyaina  itoshlakyanaa  !  ' ' 

He  of  the  pinon  patch  frightened  shall  be  ! 
He  of  the  pinon  patch  frightened  shall  be  ! 

"Oh!  shall  he?"  cried  his  grandmother.  "I 
declare,  I  am  surprised  to  see  you  come  back 
alive  and  well." 

"  Hurry  up,  grandmother,"  said  the  boy,  "and 
paint  me  as  frightfully  as  you  can." 


3  M-  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

"  All  right,  my  son  ;  I  will  help  you  ! "  So  she 
blackened  the  right  side  of  his  face  with  soot, 
and  painted  the  left  side  with  ashes,  until  he 
looked  like  a  veritable  demon.  Then  she  gave 
him  a  stone  axe  of  ancient  time  and  magic  power, 
and  she  said  :  "  Take  this,  my  son,  and  see  what 
you  can  do  with  it." 

The  boy  ran  back  to  the  mountain.  The  Bear 
was  wandering  around  eating  datilas.  The  boy 
suddenly  ran  toward  him,  and  exclaimed : 

' '  Ai  yaaaa  ! 

He  !  he  !  he  !  he  !  he  !  he  !  he  !  tooh  !  ' ' — 

and  he  whacked  the  side  of  a  hollow  pinon  tree 
with  his  axe.  The  tree  was  shivered  with  a  thun 
dering  noise,  the  earth  shook,  and  the  Bear  jumped 
as  if  he  had  been  struck  by  one  of  the  flying 
splinters.  Then,  recovering  himself  and  catching 
sight  of  the  boy,  he  exclaimed  :  "  What  a  fool  I  am, 
to  be  scared  by  that  little  wretch  of  a  boy  ! "  But 
presently,  seeing  the  boy's  face,  he  was  startled 
again,  and  exclaimed  :  "  By  my  eyes,  the  Death 
Demon  is  after  me,  surely  ! " 

Again  the  boy,  as  he  came  near,  whacked  with 
his  magic  axe  the  body  of  another  tree,  calling  out 
in  a  still  louder  voice.  The  earth  shook  so  much 
and  the  noise  was  so  thunderous  that  the  Bear 
sneezed  with  agitation.  And  again,  as  the  boy 
came  still  nearer,  once  more  he  struck  a  tree  a 
tremendous  blow,  and  again  the  earth  thundered 
and  trembled  more  violently  than  ever,  and  the  Bear 
almost  lost  his  senses  with  fright  and  thought  surely 


The  Ugly  Wild  Boy  315 

the  Corpse  Demon  was  coming  this  time.  When, 
for  the  fourth  time,  the  boy  struck  a  tree,  close 
to  the  Bear,  the  old  fellow  was  thrown  violently 
to  the  ground  with  the  heaving  of  the  earth  and 
the  bellowing  of  the  sounds  that  issued  forth.  Pick 
ing  himself  up  as  fast  as  he  could,  never  stopping  to 
see  whether  it  was  a  boy  or  a  devil,  he  fled  to  the 
eastward  as  fast  as  his  legs  would  carry  him,  and, 
as  he  heard  the  boy  following  him,  he  never 
stopped  until  he  reached  the  Zuni  Mountains. 

"  There  !  '"  said  the  boy  ;  "  I  '11  chase  the  old  rogue 
no  farther.  He's  been  living  all  these  years  on 
the  mountain  where  more  fruit  and  nuts  and  grass- 
seed  grow  than  a  thousand  Bears  could  eat,  and 
yet  he  's  never  let  so  much  as  a  single  soul  of  the 
town  of  K'iakime  gather  a  bit." 

Then  the  boy  returned  to  his  grandmother, 
and  related  to  her  what  had  taken  place. 

"Go,"  said  she,  "and  tell  the  people  of  K'ia 
kime,  from  the  top  of  yonder  high  rock,  that  those 
who  wish  to  go  out  to  gather  grass-seed  and  datilas 
and  pinon  nuts  need  fear  no  longer." 

So  the  boy  went  out,  and,  mounting  the  high 
rock,  informed  and  directed  the  people  as  follows  : 

"  Ye  of  the  Home  of  the  Eagles  !  Ye  do  I  now 
inform,  whomsoever  of  ye  would  gather  datilas, 
whomsoever  of  ye  would  gather  pinon  nuts,  whom 
soever  of  ye  would  gather  grass-seed,  that  bread 
may  be  made,  hie  ye  over  the  mountains,  and 
gather  them  to  your  hearts'  content,  for  I  have 
driven  the  Bear  away  !  " 

A  few  believed  in  what  the  boy  said  ;  and  some, 


316  Zufii  Folk  Tales 

because  he  was  ugly,  would  not  believe  it  and 
would  not  go  ;  and  thus  were  as  much  hindered 
from  gathering  grass-seed  and  nuts  for  daily  food 
as  if  the  Bear  had  been  really  there.  You  know 
people  nowadays  are  often  frightened  by  such  a 
kind  of  Bear  as  this. 

Thus  it  was  in  the  days  of  the  ancients.  And 
therefore  the  Zuni  Mountains  to  this  day  are 
filled  with  bears  ;  but  they  rarely  descend  to  the 
mesas  in  the  southwest,  being  fully  convinced  from 
the  experience  of  their  ancestor  that  the  Corpse 
Demon  is  near  and  continues  to  lie  in  wait  for 
them.  And  our  people  go  over  the  mountains  as 
they  will,  even  women  and  children,  and  gather 
datila  fruit,  pinon  nuts,  and  grass-seed  without 
hindrance. 

Thus  shortens  my  story. 


THE  REVENGE  OF  THE  TWO  BROTH 
ERS  ON  THE  HAWIKUHKWE,  OR 
THE  TWO  LITTLE  ONES1  AND 
THEIR  TURKEYS 

(THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  PRIESTS  AND  CHIEFS  OF 

THE    DANCE  OF    VICTORY) 

LONG,  long  ago,  there  lived  on  Twin  Mountain, 
Ahaiyuta  and  his  younger  brother,  with  their 
grandmother.  They  had  a  large  flock  of  Turkeys 
of  which  they  were  very  fond,  but  were  not  so 
attentive  to  them  as  they  should  have  been.  Said 
the  grandmother  to  the  boys,  late  one  morning  : 
"  Let  your  poor  Turkeys  out,  for  they  will  starve, 
poor  birds,  if  you  do  not  let  them  out  oftener." 

"  But  they  will  run  away,  grandmother,"  said  the 
two  boys,  who  did  not  fancy  herding  them  much 
of  the  time. 

"  Why  should  they  run  away  ?  "  asked  the  vexed 
grandmother,  who  had  a  sorry  enough  time  manag 
ing  the  two  heedless  boys.  "  Rest  assured  they 
will  come  back  when  roosting-time  comes,  for  such 
is  their  custom." 

So  the  Twain  ran  down  and  reluctantly  let  their 
Turkeys  go.  The  Turkeys  were  many — dirty  old 
hens,  piping,  long-legged  youngsters,  and  noisy  old 

1  This  term  refers  to  the  two  Gods  of  War,  Ahaiyuta  and  Matsailema, 
who,  as  has  been  seen  in  previous  tales,  were  accounted  immortal  twin 
youths  of  small  size. 

317 


318  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

cocks  ;  but  they  were  all  more  noisy  when  they 
were  let  out,  and  not  long  was  it  before  they  were 
straying  far  beyond  the  border  of  woods  and 
toward  Hawikuh. 

Not  long  after  noon  the  flock  of  Turkeys 
strolled,  gobbling  and  chirping,  into  the  valley 
north  of  Hawikuh1  where  many  of  the  people  of 
that  pueblo  had  corn-fields.  Some  young  men 
who  were  resting  from  their  hoeing  heard  the 
calls  of  the  Turkeys,  and,  starting  up,  saw  across 
the  valley  a  larger  flock  than  they  had  ever  been 
wont  to  find.  Of  course  they  were  crazy.  They 
started  up  and  ran  as  fast  as  they  could  toward 
the  pueblo,  calling  out  as  they  went  what  they 
had  discovered,  so  that  all  the  people  in  the 
fields  began  to  gather  in.  As  soon  as  they  came 
within  the  pueblo,  they  sought  out  the  Priests  of 
the  Bow  and  told  them  what  they  had  discovered. 

Very  quickly  ran  the  priests  to  the  tops  of  the 
houses,  and  they  began  to  call  out  to  their  people : 
"  Ye  we  would  this  day  make  wise,  for  our  sons 
tell  us  of  many  Turkeys  in  the  valley  over  the 
hill  ;  so  hasten  ye  to  gather  together  good  bows 
and  arrows,  boomerangs,  and  strings,  that  ye  may 
be  made  happy  and  add  unto  your  flocks  and 
make  more  plentiful  the  plumes  in  your  feather 
boxes." 

In  a  very  short  time  the  people  were  rushing 
out  of  their  doorways  all  prepared  for  the  chase, 

1  Hawikuh,  or  Aguico  of  the  Spaniards,  a  pueblo  now  in  ruins  across 
the  valley  northwestward  from  Ojo  Caliente,  the  southwestern  farming 
town  of  the  Zunis. 


Revenge  of  the  Two  Brothers         3T9 

and  they  ran  after  the  young  men  and  leaders  as 
though  in  a  race  of  the  kicked  stick. 

Now,  the  sage-bushes  and  grasses  grow  tall  to 
this  day  in  the  valley  north  of  Hawikuh,  and  so 
they  grew  in  the  days  long,  long  ago  that  I  tell  of. 
It  thus  happened  that  the  poor  Turkeys  who  were 
racing  after  grasshoppers,  and  peeping,  and  calling, 
and  gobbling,  did  not  know  that  the  Hawikuh 
people  were  after  them  until  they  heard  some  old 
hens  calling  out  in  alarm  from  behind.  Even  then 
they  were  unable  to  get  away,  for  the  people  were 
around  them  shouting  and  hurling  crooked  sticks, 
and  shooting  sharp  arrows  at  them  in  all  direc 
tions.  Soon  they  began  to  fall  on  every  side, 
especially  the  long-legged  young  ones,  who  so  tan 
gled  their  legs  in  the  grasses  that  they  could  not 
keep  up  with  their  mothers,  and  were  easily  over 
taken  by  the  hunters  of  Hawikuh  ;  and  the  old 
hens  who  stayed  behind  to  look  after  the  young 
ones  were  no  better,  and  the  cocks  who  stayed 
back  to  look  after  the  old  hens  were  even  worse 
off,  for  the  people  sought  them  most  because  their 
feathers  were  so  much  brighter. 

So  it  happened  in  a  very  short  time  that  more 
than  half  the  flock  were  killed  and  others  were 
falling  when  a  half-grown  Long-leg  started  as  fast 
as  he  could  alone  toward  Twin  Mountain. 

It  was  growing  late,  and  Ahaiyiita  and  his 
younger  brother  and  their  old  grandmother  were 
on  top  of  their  house  shading  their  eyes  and  watch 
ing  for  the  return  of  the  Turkeys,  when  they  saw 
the  solitary  young  Long-leg  coming,  all  out  of 


320  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

breath  and  his  wings  dragging,  over  the  hill  below 
Master  Canon. 

"  Ha  ! "  said  the  younger  brother  ;  "  look  !  there 
comes  a  Long-legs, — and  what  is  he  shouting?— 
Jump  up,  brother,  jump  up  !  Do  you  hear  that  ?" 

"  I-wo-loh-kia-a — a — a  !  "  called  the  Turkey,  so 
that  they  could  just  hear  him  ;  and  as  that  means 
"Murder!  Murder!"  you  may  think  to  yourself 
how  much  they  were  excited ;  but  they  were  not  so 
much  alarmed  as  the  old  grandmother,  "  for,"  said 
they,  one  to  the  other,  "  it  is  nothing  but  a  young 
ster,  anyway,  and  they  are  always  more  scared  than 
the  old  ones." 

Nevertheless,  they  hastened  down  to  meet  him, 
and  as  they  approached  they  saw  that  he  was  ter 
ribly  frightened,  so  they  anxiously  waited  until  he 
breathed  more  easily  and  would  stand  still  ;  then 
they  asked  :  "  What  is  it  ?  Where  is  it  ?  Why 
do  you  come  alone,  crying  *  Murder,  Murder  ! ' ' 

"  Alas !  my  fathers,"  exclaimed  the  Turkey. 
"  Alas  !  I,  alone,  am  left  to  tell  of  it ;  ere  I  left 
they  were  thrown  down  all  around  me." 

"  Who  did  this  ?  "  angrily  demanded  the  boys. 

"  The  people  of  Hawikuh,"  exclaimed  the  Tur 
key,  glancing  apprehensively  around. 

"  Ha  !  we  shall  yet  win  back  our  loss,"  ejaculated 
the  boys  to  one  another;  and  then  they  turned 
to  the  Turkey.  "  Are  they  all  murdered  and 
gone  ?  "  they  asked. 

"  Yes,  alas  !  yes  ;  I  alone  am  left,"  moaned  the 
young  Turkey. 

"  Oh,  no  ! "  broke  in  the  elder  brother,  "  there 


Revenge  of  the  Two  Brothers         321 

will  yet  many  return,  for  this  is  but  a  Long-leg,  and 
surely  when  he  could  save  himself  others  and  older 
ones  could."  Even  then  they  heard  some  of  the 
Turkeys  calling  to  one  another,  out  of  breath  over 
the  low  hills.  "U~kwa-tchi! "  ("  Did  n't  I  tell 
you  ! ")  exclaimed  Ahaiyiita,  and  they  started  tow 
ard  the  mountain. 

One  by  one,  or  in  little  bunches,  the  Turkeys 
came  fleeing  in,  scared,  weary,  and  bedraggled ; 
and  the  boys  knew  by  this,  and  that  only  a 
few  after  all  returned,  that  the  Long-leg  had  not 
been  for  nothing  taught  to  fear.  They  betook 
themselves  to  their  house.  There  they  sat  down 
to  eat  with  their  grandmother,  and  after  the  eat 
ing  was  finished,  they  poked  little  sticks  into  the 
blazing  fire  on  the  hearth,  and  cried  out  to  their 
grandmother  :  "  Tomorrow,  grandmother,  we  will 
gather  fagots." 

"  Foolish,  foolish  boys!"  croned  the  old  grand 
mother. 

"  Aye,  tomorrow  we  will  gather  sprouts. 
Where  do  they  grow  thickest  and  straightest, 
grandmother  ?  " 

"  Now,  you  boys  had  better  let  sprouts  and  war 
alone,"  retorted  the  grandmother. 

"  But  we  must  win  back  our  losing,"  cried  the 
boys,  with  so  much  vehemence  that  the  grandmother 
only  shook  her  head  and  exclaimed:  "  A-ti-ki ! 
("  Blood  !  ")  Strange  creatures,  my  grandchildren, 
both  !  "  whereupon  the  two  boys  poked  one  the 
other  and  laughed. 

"  Well,"  added  the  grandmother,  "  I  have  warned 


322  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

you  ;  now  act  your  own  thoughts  "  ; — and  the  boys 
looked  at  her  as  earnestly  as  though  they  knew 
nothing  of  what  she  would  say.  "  Fine  warriors, 
indeed,  who  do  not  know  where  to  look  for  arrow- 
sticks  !  But  if  you  will  go  sprouting,  why,  over 
there  in  the  Rain-pond  Basin  are  plenty  of  sprouts, 
and  then  north  on  Scale  Ridge  grow  more,  and 
over  in  Oak  Canon  are  fine  oak-sprouts,  more  than 
ten  boys  like  you  could  carry,  and  above  here 
around  Great  Mountain  are  other  kinds,  and  every 
where  grow  sprouts  enough,  if  people  were  n't  beasts 
passing  understanding  ;  and,  what 's  more,  I  could 
tell  you  boys  something  to  your  advantage  if  you 
would  ever  listen  to  your  old  grandmother,  but— 

"  What  is  it  ?  What  is  it  ? "  interrupted  the 
boys  excitedly,  just  as  if  they  knew  nothing  of 
what  she  would  say. 

11  Why,  over  there  by  the  Rain-pond  Basin  lives 
your  grandfather— 

"  Who  's  that  ?  Who  's  that  ?  "  interrupted  the 
boys  again. 

"  I  've  a  mind  not  to  tell  you,  you  shameless  little 
beasts,  another  word,"  jerked  out  the  old  grand 
mother,  sucking  her  lips  as  if  they  were  marrow 
bones,  and  digging  into  the  pudding  she  was 
stirring  as  though  it  were  alive  enough  to  be 
killed, — "  just  as  though  I  were  not  telling  you 
as  fast  as  I  could  ;  and,  besides,  anything  but  little 
beasts  would  know  their  grandfather — why,  the 
Rainbow-worm,  of  course  !  " 

1  One  of  the  "measuring-worms"  which  is  named  the  rainbow,  on  ac 
count  of  his  streaked  back  and  habit  of  bending  double  when  travelling. 


Revenge  of  the  Two  Brothers         323 

"  The  Rainbow-worm  our  grandfather,  indeed  !  " 
persisted  the  boys  ;  and  they  would  have  said  more 
had  not  their  grandmother,  getting  cross,  raised 
the  pudding-stick  at  them,  and  bid  them  "  shut 
up  ! "  So  they  subsided,  and  the  old  woman  con 
tinued  :  "  Yes,  your  grandfather,  and  for  shame  ! — 
You  may  sit  there  and  giggle  all  you  please,  but 
your  grandfather  the  Rainbow-worm  is  a  great 
warrior,  I  can  tell  you,  and  if  you  boys  will  go 
sprouting,  why,  I  can  tell  you,  you  will  fare  but 
with  poverty  the  day  after,  if  you  do  not  get  him 
to  help  you,  that 's  all  !  " 

"  Indeed,"  replied  the  boys,  quite  respectfully. 

"  Yes,  that  I  tell  you  ;  and,  moresoever,  over 
there  beyond  at  the  wood  border,  in  a  pond,  is 
your  other  grandfather,  and  he  is  a  great  war 
rior,  too." 

"  Indeed  !  "  exclaimed  the  boys,  as  though  they 
did  not  know  that  already,  also. 

"  Yes,  and  you  must  go  to  see  him,  too  ;  for  you 
can  't  get  along  without  him  any  more  than  with 
out  the  other.  Now,  you  boys  go  to  sleep,  for  you 
will  want  to  get  up  very  early  in  the  morning,  and 
you  must  go  down  the  path  and  straight  over  the 
little  hills  to  where  your  grandfathers  live,  and  not 
up  into  the  Master  Canon  to  gather  your  sticks, 
for  if  you  do  you  will  forget  all  I  Ve  told  you. 
You  are  creatures  who  pass  comprehension,  you 
two  grandchildren  of  mine." 

So  the  two  boys  lay  down  in  the  corner  together 
under  one  robe,  like  a  man  and  his  wife,  for  they 
did  not  sleep  apart  like  our  boys.  But,  do  you 


324  Zufii  Folk  Tales 

know,  those  two  mischievous  boys  giggled  and 
kicked  one  another,  and  kept  turning  about,  just 
as  though  they  never  dreamed  of  the  morning. 
Then  they  fell  to  quarrelling  about  who  could  turn 
over  the  quicker. 

"  I  can,"  said  the  elder  brother. 

"  You  can  't  !  " 

"  I  can  !  " 

"  No,  you  can  't  !" 

"Yes,  I  can,  and  I'll  show  you";  and  he  was 
about  to  brace  himself  for  the  trial  when  the  old 
grandmother  strode  over  with  her  pudding-stick, 
lifting  it  in  the  air,  with  her  usual  expression  of 
"  Blood !  my  grandchildren  both,"  when  they 
quieted  down  and  pretended  to  sleep ;  but  still 
they  kept  giggling  and  trying  to  pull  the  cover  off 
each  other, 

"  Stop  that  gaping  and  fooling,  will  you  ?  And 
go  to  sleep,  you  nasty  little  cubs  ! "  cried  the  irri 
tated  old  woman  ;  and  laughing  outright  at  their 
poor  old  grandmother,  they  put  their  arms  around 
each  other  and  fell  asleep. 

Next  morning  the  sun  rose,  till  he  shone  straight 
over  the  mountain,  but  still  the  two  boys  were 
asleep.  The  old  grandmother  had  gone  out  to 
water  her  garden,  and  now  she  was  sitting  on  the 
house-top  shading  her  eyes  and  looking  down  the 
trail  she  had  told  the  boys  to  follow,  to  see  them 
come  out  of  the  shadow. 

After  she  had  strained  her  poor  old  eyes  till 
they  watered,  she  grew  impatient :  "  Did  I  ever 
see  such  boys  !  Now  they've  gone  and  played  me 


Revenge  of  the  Two  Brothers         325 

another  trick.  They  '11  rue  their  pranks  some 
day."  Then  she  thought  she  would  go  down  and 
get  some  mush  for  breakfast.  As  she  climbed 
down  the  ladder,  she  heard  a  tremendous  snoring. 
"  Ho,  ho  !  "  exclaimed  the  old  grandmother ;  and 
striding  across  the  room  she  shook  the  boys 
soundly.  "  Get  up,  get  up  !  you  lazy  creatures  ; 
fine  sprouters,  you  ! " 

The  boys  rolled  over,  rubbed  their  eyes,  and 
began  to  stretch. 

"  Get  up,  get  up  !  the  day  is  warmed  long  ago  ; 
fine  warriors,  you  ! "  reiterated  the  old  woman,  giv 
ing  them  another  shaking. 

The  boys  sat  up,  stretched,  gaped,  rubbed  their 
eyes,  and  scratched  their  heads — the  dirtiest  little 
fellows  ever  seen — but  they  were  only  making  be 
lieve.  Their  arms  were  crusty  with  dirt,  and  their 
hair  stood  out  like  down  on  a  wild  milkweed  after 
a  rain-storm,  and  yet  these  boys  were  the  hand 
somest  children  that  ever  lived- — only  they  were 
fooling  their  old  grandmother,  you  see. 

"  You  'd  better  be  down  at  the  spring  washing 
your  eyes  at  sunrise,  instead  of  scratching  your 
heads  here  with  the  sun  shining  already  down  the 
sky-hole  "  ;  croaked  the  old  woman. 

"What!  is  the  sun  out?"  cried  the  boys  in 
mock  surprise ;  but  they  knew  what  time  it  was 
as  well  as  the  old  crone  did. 

"  Out !  I  should  say  it  was  !  You  boys  might 
as  well  go  to  sleep  again.  A  fine  bundle  of  sticks 
you  could  get  today,  with  the  sun  done  climbing 
up  already." 


326  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

So  the  boys  pretended  to  be  in  a  great  hurry 
and,  grabbing  up  their  bows  and  quivers,  never 
stopped  to  half  dress  nor  heeded  the  old  woman's 
offer  of  food,  but  were  jumping  down  the  crags 
like  mountain  goats  before  the  old  woman  was 
up  the  ladder. 

"Atiki!"  exclaimed  the  grandmother;  "these 
beasts  that  cause  meditation  ! "  Then  she  climbed 
the  terrace  and  watched  and  watched  and  watched  ; 
but  the  boys  liked  nothing  better  than  to  worry 
their  old  grandmother,  so  they  ran  up  Master 
Canon  and  into  the  woods  and  so  across  to  Rain- 
pond  Basin,  leaving  the  old  woman  to  look  as  she 
would. 

"Uhh!"  groaned  the  old  woman;  "they  are 
down  among  the  rocks  playing.  Fine  warriors, 
they  ! "  and  with  this  she  went  back  to  her  cooking. 

By-and-by  the  boys  came  to  the  edge  of  the 
basin  where  the  pod  plant  grew.  Sure  enough, 
there  was  the  Rainbow-worm,  eating  leaves  as 
though  he  were  dying  of  hunger — a  great  fat  fel 
low,  as  big  as  the  boys  themselves ;  for  long, 
long  ago,  in  the  days  I  tell  you  of,  the  Rainbow- 
worm  was  much  bigger  than  he  is  now. 

"  Hold  on,"  said  the  younger  brother.  "  Let 's 
frighten  the  old  fellow." 

So  they  sneaked  up  until  they  were  close  to  the 
grandfather,  and  then  they  began  to  tickle  him  with 
a  stalk.  Amiwili — that  was  his  name — twitched 
his  skin  and  bit  away  faster  and  faster  at  the  leaves, 
until  Ahaiyuta  shouted  at  the  top  of  his  voice, 
"  Ha-u-thla!  "  which  made  the  old  man  jump  and 


Revenge  of  the  Two  Brothers         327 

turn  back  so  quickly  that  he  would  have  broken 
his  back  had  he  a  back-bone. 

"  Shoma  !  "  he  exclaimed.  "  It 's  my  grandchil 
dren,  is  it  ?  I  am  old  and  a  little  deaf,  and  you 
frightened  me,  my  boys." 

"Did  we  frighten  you,  grandfather?  That's 
too  bad.  Well,  never  mind  ;  we  Ve  come  to  you  for 
advice." 

"  What 's  that,  my  grandchildren  ?  "  looking  out 
of  his  yellow  eyes  as  though  he  were  very  wise, 
and  standing  up  on  his  head  and  tail  as  though 
they  had  been  two  feet. 

"  Why,  you  see,"  said  the  boys,  "  we  had  a  big 
drove  of  Turkeys,  and  we  let  them  out  to  feed 
yesterday,  but  the  fools  got  too  near  Hawikuh  and 
the  people  there  killed  many,  many  of  them  ;  so 
we  have  decided  to  get  back  our  winnings  and  even 
the  game  with  them,  the  shameless  beasts  ! " 

"  Ah  ha  !  "  exclaimed  old  Amiwili.  "  Very  well ! " 
and  he  lay  down  on  his  belly  and  lifted  his  head 
into  the  air  like  a  man  resting  on  his  elbows. 
"  Ah  ha ! "  said  he,  with  a  wag  of  his  head  and  a 
squint  of  his  goggle.  "  Ah  ha  !  Very  well !  I  '11 
show  them  that  they  are  not  to  treat  my  grand 
children  like  that.  I  'm  a  warrior,  every  direction 
of  me — and  there  are  a  great  many  directions 
when  I  get  angry,  now,  I  can  tell  you  !  I  'm  just 
made  to  use  up  life,"  said  he,  with  another  swag 
ger  of  his  head. 

"  Listen  to  that ! "  said  Matsailema  to  his 
brother. 

"  To  use  up  life,  that 's  what  I  'm  for,"    added 


328  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

the  old  man,  with  emphasis  ;  "  I  '11  show  the  Hawi- 
kuhkwe ! " 

"  Will  you  come  to  the  council  ? "  asked  the 
two  boys. 

"  ShuatUa?  swaggered  the  old  man — which 
is  a  very  old-fashioned  word  that  our  grandfathers 
used  when  they  said  :  "  Go  ye  but  before  me." 

So  the  boys  skipped  over  to  the  pool  at  the 
wood  border.  There  was  their  old  grandfather, 
the  Turtle,  with  his  eyes  squinted  up,  paddling 
round  in  the  scum,  and  stretching  his  long  neck 
up  to  bite  off  the  heads  of  the  water-rushes. 

"  Let 's  have  some  fun  with  the  old  Shield-back," 
said  the  boys  to  one  another.  "  Just  you  hold  a 
moment,  brother  elder,"  said  Matsailema  as  he 
fitted  an  arrow  to  the  string  and  drew  it  clean  to 
the  point.  Tsi-i-i-i  thle-e-e  !  sang  the  arrow  as  it 
struck  the  back  of  the  old  Turtle ;  and  although 
he  was  as  big  as  the  Turtles  in  the  big  Waters  of 
the  World  now  are,  the  force  and  fright  ducked 
him  under  the  scum  like  a  chip,  and  he  came  up 
with  his  eyes  slimy  and  his  mouth  full  of  spittle, 
and  his  legs  flying  round  too  fast  to  be  counted. 
When  he  spied  the  two  boys,  he  cursed  them 
harder  than  their  grandmother  did,  but  they  hardly 
heard  him,  for  their  arrow  glanced  upward  from 
his  back  and  came  down  so  straight  that  they  had 
to  run  for  their  lives.  "  Atiki  !  troublesome  little 
beasts,  who  never  knew  what  shame  nor  dignity 
was  !  "  exclaimed  the  old  fellow. 

"  Don't  be  angry  with  us,  grandpa,"  said  the 
boys.  "  You  must  be  deaf,  for  we  called  and 


Revenge  of  the  Two  Brothers         329 

called  to  you,  but  you  only  paddled  round  and 
ate  rushes ;  so  we  thought  we  would  fire  an  arrow 
at  you,  for  you  know  we  could  n  't  get  at  you." 

"  Oh,  that 's  it  !  Well,  what  may  my  grand 
children  be  thinking  of,  in  thus  coming  to  see  me  ? 
It  cannot  be  for  nothing,"  reflected  the  old  man, 
as  he  twisted  his  head  up  toward  them  and  pushed 
the  scum  with  his  tail. 

"  Quite  true,  grandfather ;  we  Ve  started  out 
sprouting,  and  had  to  come  to  our  grandfather 
for  advice." 

"Why,  what  is  it  then?"  queried  the  old 
Shield-back. 

"  You  see,  we  have  a  flock  of  Turkeys —  " 

"Yes,  I  know,"  interrupted  the  old  man,  "for 
they  came  down  here  to  drink  yesterday  and  broke 
my  morning  nap  with  their  '  quit  quit  quittings  /  ' ! 

"  Well,"  resumed  the  boys,  "  they  went  toward 
the  Hawikuhkwe,  and  the  shameless  beasts,  that 
they  are,  turned  out  and  killed  very  nearly  all  of 
them,  and  we  're  going  to  even  matters  with  them ; 
that's  why  we  are  out  sprouting." 

"  Ah  ha ! "  cried  the  old  man,  paddling  up  nearer 
to  the  bank/  "Good!  Well,  that's  right,  my 
grandchildren ;  you  show  that  you  are  the  wise 
boys  that  you  are  to  come  to  me.  I  'm  a  great 
warrior,  I  am,  for  though  I  have  neither  bow  nor 
arrow,  yet  the  more  my  enemies  have,  the  worse 
for  themselves,  that 's  all.  You  two  just  wait  until 
tomorrow,"  and  he  stretched  his  head  out  until 
it  looked  as  though  he  kept  a  snake  in  his 
shell. 


33°  Zufii  Folk  Tales 

"Will  you  help  us?"  asked  the  boys.  (They 
knew  very  well  he  would  like  nothing  better.) 

"  Of  course,  my  grandchildren." 

"  Will  you  come  to  the  council  ?  " 

"  Of  course,  my  grandchildren  two.  How  many 
will  be  there  ?  "  called  the  old  fellow. 

"The  house  shall  be  as  full  as  a  full  stomach," 
retorted  the  boys,  jousting  each  other. 

"  Thluathld!"  gruffly  said  Etawa,  for  that  was 
the  Turtle's  name. 

So  the  boys  started  for  Oak-wood  Canon,  and, 
arrived  there,  soon  had  a  large  bundle  of  branches 
cut  down  with  their  big  flint  knives,  and  four 
stout,  dry  oak-sticks.  They  shouldered  their 
"  sprouts "  and  started  home,  and,  although  they 
had  bundles  big  enough  to  almost  hide  them,  they 
trotted  along  as  though  they  had  nothing.  On 
their  way  they  picked  up  a  lot  of  obsidian,  and 
went  fast  enough  until  they  were  near  their 
home,  and  then  they  were  "  very  tired  " — so  tired 
that  the  old  grandmother,  when  she  caught  sight 
of  them,  pitied  them,  and  hurried  down  to  stir 
some  mush  for  them.  She  buried  some  corn-cakes 
in  the  ashes,  too,  and  roasted  some  prairie-dogs 
in  the  same  way ;  so  that  when  those  two  lying 
little  rascals  came  up  and  seemed  so  worn-out,  she 
hurried  so  fast  to  get  their  food  ready  that  it  made 
her  sinews  twitch. 

When  the  boys  had  eaten  all  they  could  and 
cracked  a  few  prairie-dog  bones,  they  fell  to 
breaking  the  sprouts.  They  worked  with  their 
stone  chips  very  fast,  and  soon  had  barked  all  they 


Revenge  of  the  Two  Brothers         33 l 

wanted.  These  they  straightened  by  passing  them 
through  their  horns1  and  placed  them  before  the 
fire.  While  the  shafts  were  drying,  they  broke 
up  the  obsidian,  and  laying  chips  of  it  on  a  stone 
covered  with  buckskin,  quickly  fashioned  them 
into  sharp  arrow-heads  with  the  points  of  other 
stones,  and  these  they  fastened  to  the  ends  of  the 
shafts,  placing  feathers  of  the  eagle  on  the  other 
ends,  until  they  had  made  enough  for  four  big 
bundles.  Then  they  made  a  bow  of  each  of  the 
four  oak-sticks,  and  stood  them  up  to  dry  against 
the  wall. 

As  it  grew  dark  they  heard  something  like  a 
dry  leaf  in  a  little  wind. 

"  Ah  !  "  said  one  to  the  other,  "  our  grandfather 
comes  "  ;  and  sure  enough  presently  Amiwili  poked 
his  yellow  eyes  in  at  the  door,  but  quickly  drew 
back  again. 

"Kutchi!"  said  he,  "your  fire  is  fearful;  it 
scares  me  !  " 

"  The  grandfather  cometh  !  "  exclaimed  the  boys. 
"  Come  in  ;  sit  down." 

"  Very  well.  Ah  !  you  are  stretching  shafts,  are 
you  ? "  said  the  old  Worm,  crawling  around  behind 
the  boys  and  into  the  darkest  corner  he  could  find. 

"Yes,"  replied  they.  "Why  do  you  not  come 
out  into  the  light,  grandpa  ?  " 

1  Fragments  of  mountain-sheep  horn  are  used  to  this  day  by  the  Zunis 
for  the  same  purpose.  They  are  flattened  by  heat  and  perforated  with 
holes  of  varying  size.  By  introducing  the  shaft  to  be  straightened,  and 
rubbing  with  a  twisting  motion  the  inner  sides  of  the  crooked  portions, 
they  are  gradually  straightened  out,  afterward  to  be  straightened  by  hand 
from  time  to  time  as  they  dry  before  the  fire. 


332  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

"  Kutchi !  I  fear  the  fire  ;  it  hurts  my  eyes,  and 
makes  me  feel  as  the  sun  does  after  a  rain-storm 
and  I  have  no  leaves  to  crawl  into." 

"  Very  well,"  said  the  boys.  "  Grandmother, 
spread  a  robe  for  him  in  the  corner."  Then  they 
busied  themselves  straightening  some  of  the  arrows 
and  trying  their  bows.  Just  as  they  were  pulling 
one  toward  the  entrance  way,  they  heard  old  Etawa 
thumping  along,  and  immediately  the  old  fellow 
called  out :  "  Hold  on  ;  don't  thump  me  against 
one  of  those  sticks  of  yours ;  they  jar  a  fellow  so  !  " 

"  Oh,  it  's  you,  is  it,  grandfather  ?  Well,  we  're 
only  trying  our  new  bows ;  come  in  and  sit  down." 
So  the  old  fellow  bumped  along  in  and  took  his 
place  by  the  fire,  for  he  did  not  care  whether  it 
was  hot  or  cold. 

"  Are  the  councillors  here  ?  "  asked  he,  wagging 
his  head  around. 

"  Why,  certainly,"  said  the  two  boys  ;  "  and  now 
our  council  is  so  full  we  had  better  proceed  to  dis 
cuss  what  we  had  better  do." 

When  the  old  Turtle  discovered  that  the  boys 
had  been  playing  him  a  joke,  he  was  vexed,  but 
he  did  n't  show  it.  "  Amiwili  here  ?  "  asked  he. 
41  Tchukwe !  We  four  will  teach  those  Ha- 
wikuhkwe  ! " 

"  Yes,  indeed  ! "  croaked  the  Rainbow-worm. 

"  Well,"  said  the  boys,  "  at  daybreak  tomor 
row  morning,  before  it  is  light,  we  shall  start  for 
H  awikuh-town. " 

"  Very  well,"  responded  Amiwili.  "  Come  to 
my  place  first,  and  let  me  know  when  you  start." 


Revenge  of  the  Two  Brothers         333 

"  And,"  added  Etawa,  "  come  to  my  place  next 
and  let  me  know.  When  you  boys  get  to  Hawikuh 
and  alarm  the  people,  if  they  get  too  thick  for  you, 
come  back  to  my  house  as  fast  as  you  can,  and 
you,  Matsailema,  take  me  up  on  your  back.  Then 
you  two  run  toward  your  other  grandfather's  house. 
I  '11  show  these  Hawikuhkwe  that  I  can  waste  life 
as  much  as  anybody,  even  if  I  have  no  arrows  to 
shoot  at  them." 

"Yes,"  added  the  Rainbow-worm,  "and  when 
you  come  up  to  my  house,  just  run  past  me  and  I  '11 
take  care  of  the  rest  of  them.  I  'm  made  to  use 
up  life,  I  am,"  swaggered  he. 

"And  I,"  boasted  the  old  Turtle.  "Come, 
brother,  let  us  be  going,  for  we  have  a  long  way  to 
travel,  and  our  legs  are  short."  So,  after  feasting, 
the  two  started  away. 

As  soon  as  they  had  gone,  the  two  boys  went  to 
their  corner  and  lay  down  to  rest,  first  filling  their 
quivers  with  arrows,  and  laying  their  water-shield  1 
out  on  the  floor.  They  were  presently  quiet,  and 
then  began  to  snore  ;  so  their  old  grandmother 
went 'into  another  room  and  brought  out  a  new 
bowl  which  she  filled  with  water.  Then  she  retired 
into  the  room  again,  and  when  she  came  out  she 
was  dressed  in  beautiful  embroidered  mantles  and 

1  The  kia-al-lan,  or  water-shield,  is  represented  in  modern  times  by 
a  beautiful  netting  of  white  cotton  threads  strung  on  a  round  hoop,  with  a 
downy  plume  suspended  from  the  center.  This,  with  the  dealings  of 
Ahaiyuta  and  Matsailema  with  arrows  of  lightning,  and  the  simile  of  their 
father  the  Sun,  leaves  little  doubt  that  they  are,  in  common  with  mystic 
creations  of  the  Aryans,  representatives  of  natural  phenomena  or  their 
agents.  This  is  even  more  closely  suggested  by  the  sequel. 


334  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

skirts  and  decorated  with  precious  ornaments  of 
shell  and  turquoise. 

The  noise  she  made  awoke  Ahaiyiita,  who 
punched  his  younger  brother,  and  said  :  "  Wake 
up,  wake  up  !  Here  's  grandmother  dressed  as 
though  she  were  going  to  a  dance !  " 

Then  the  younger  brother  raised  his  voice  to  a 
sharp  whisper  (they  knew  perfectly  well  what  the 
old  grandmother  was  intending  to  do)  :  "  What 
for  ?  " 

"  Here  !  "  said  the  old  woman,  turning  toward 
the  bed.  "  Go  to  sleep  !  What  are  you  never-weary 
little  beasts  doing  now  ?  For  shame  !  You  pre 
tend  you  are  going  out  to  war  tomorrow  !  " 

"  Why  are  you  dressed  so,  grandmother  ? " 
ventured  the  younger. 

"  What  should  I  be  dressed  for  but  to  make 
medicine  for  you  two  ?  Now,  mind,  you  must  not 
watch  me.  I  shall  make  the  medicine  and  place 
it  in  these  two  cane  tubes,  and  you  must  shoot 
them  into  the  middle  of  the  plaza  of  Hawikuh  as 
soon  as  you  get  there.  That  will  make  the  people 
like  women  ;  for  the  canes  will  break  and  make 
the  medicine  fly  about  like  mist,  and  whomsoever 
gets  his  skin  wet  by  it,  will  become  no  more  of  a 
warrior  than  a  woman.  Go  to  sleep,  I  say,  you 
pests ! " 

But  the  boys  had  no  intention  of  sleeping.  To 
be  sure,  they  stretched  themselves  out  and  slyly 
laid  their  arms  across  their  eyes.  The  old  grand 
mother  did  not  notice  this  at  first.  She  began  to 
wash  her  arms  in  the  bowl  of  water.  Then  she 


Revenge  of  the  Two  Brothers         335 

rubbed  them  so  hard  that  the  yepna  ("  substance  of 
flesh  ")  was  rolled  off  in  little  lumps  and  fell  into 
the  water.  This  she  began  to  mix  carefully  with 
the  water,  when  Ahaiyiita  whispered  to  the  other : 
"  Brother  younger,  just  look  !  Old  grandmother's 
arms  look  as  bright  as  a  young  girl's.  Look, 
look  ! "  said  he,  still  louder,  for  the  other  had 
already  begun  to  giggle  ;  but  when  the  old  woman 
turned  to  talk  sharply  at  them,  they  turned  over, 
the  rascals,  as  dutifully  as  though  they  had  never 
joked  with  their  poor  old  grandmother.  Soon 
they  were  indeed  sleeping. 

Then  the  grandmother  proceeded  to  fill  the 
canes  with  the  fluid,  and  then  she  fastened  these 
to  the  ends  of  two  good  arrows.  "  There  ! "  she 
exclaimed,  with  a  sigh  ;  and  after  she  had  chanted 
an  incantation  over  the  canes,  she  laid  some  food 
near  the  boys  and  softly  left  the  room,  to  sleep. 

The  boys  never  minded  the  things  they  had  to 
do  in  the  morning,  but  slept  soundly  until  the 
coming  of  day,  when  they  arose,  took  their  bows 
and  quivers,  knives,  war-clubs,  arrows,  and  water- 
shield,  and  quietly  stole  away. 

It  was  not  long  ere  they  approached  the  house 
of  Amiwili.  He  was  fairly  gorging  the  leaves  of 
all  the  lizard  plants  he  could  lay  hold  of,  and 
already  looked  so  full  that  he  must  have  felt  like 
a  ball.  But  he  munched  away  so  busily  that  he 
would  n't  have  looked  at  the  boys  had  it  been  light 
enough. 

"  How  did  our  grandfather  come  unto  the 
morning  ?  "  asked  they. 


336  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

"  Thluathld  !  "  ("  Get  out  !  ")  was  all  the  old 
Worm  vouchsafed  them  between  his  cuds  ;  and 
they  sped  on. 

Soon  they  reached  the  home  of  the  old  Turtle. 
This  old  grandfather  was  more  leisurely.  "  You 
will  return  at  the  height  of  the  sun,"  said  he. 
"  Now  mind  what  I  told  you  last  night.  I  '11 
wait  right  here  on  the  bank  for  you." 

"  Very  well,"  laughed  the  boys,  for  little  they 
cared  that  they  were  on  the  war-path. 

By-and-by  they  neared  the  town  of  Hawikuh. 
It  was  twilight,  for  the  morning  star  was  high. 
The  boys  sat  down  a  moment  and  sang  an  incan 
tation, — the  same  our  fathers  and  children,  the 
Apithlan  Shiwani,  sing  now.  Then  the  younger 
brother  ran  round  the  pueblo  to  scout.  Two  or 
three  people  were  getting  up,  as  he  could  see,  for 
nearly  everybody  slept  on  the  roofs,  it  was  so 
warm. 

"  Iwolohkia-a-a ! "  cried  he,  at  the  top  of  his 
voice  ;  and  as  the  people  were  rousing  he  drew  one 
of  the  cane  arrows  full  length  in  his  bow,  and  so 
straight  and  high  did  he  shoot,  that  it  fell  thl-i-i-i-i! 
into  the  middle  of  the  plaza,  splitting  and  scatter 
ing  medicine-water  in  every  direction,  so  that  the 
people  all  exclaimed,  as  they  rubbed  their  eyes  : 
"  Ho  !  it  is  raining,  and  yet  the  sky  is  clear  !  And 
did  n't  some  one  cry  *  Murder,  murder  ! ' 

When  Ahaiyuta's  arrow  struck,  it  scattered 
more  medicine-water  upon  them,  until  they  thought 
they  must  be  dreaming  of  rain  ;  but  just  then 
Matsailema  shouted,  *"  Ho-o-o  !  Murder!"  again, 


Revenge  of  the  Two  Brothers        337 

and  everybody  started  to  hunt  bows  and  arrows. 
Then  the  boy  ran  to  the  hiding-place  of  his  brother 
in  the  grass  on  the  trail  toward  the  wood  border, 
and  just  as  he  got  there,  some  of  the  people  who 
were  shouting  and  gabbling  to  one  another  ran 
out  to  see  him. 

"  Ha  ! "  they  shouted,  "  there  they  are,  on  the 
northern  trail." 

So  the  Hawikuhkwe  all  poured  down  toward 
them,  but  when  they  arrived  there  they  found  no 
enemy.  While  the  people  were  looking  and  run 
ning  about,  tsok  tsok,  and  tsok  tsok,  and  tsok  tsok, 
the  arrows  of  Ahaiyiita,  and  Matsailema  struck 
the  nearest  ones,  for  they  had  crawled  along  the  trail 
and  were  waiting  in  the  grass.  They  never  missed. 
Every  man  they  struck  fell,  but  many,  many  came 
on,  and  when  these  saw  that  there  were  only  two, 
their  faces  were  all  the  more  to  the  front  with 
haste.  Still  the  two  boys  shot,  shot,  shot  at  them 
until  many  were  killed  or  wounded  before  the  re 
mainder  decided  to  flee. 

"  Come,  brother,  my  arrows  are  gone,"  said  the 
younger  brother.  "  Quick  !  put  on  the  water-shield, 
and  let  us  be  off  ! "  Now,  the  people  were  gaining 
on  them  faster  and  faster,  but  Ahaiyuta  threw 
water  like  thick  rain  from  his  shield  strapped  over 
his  back,  so  that  the  enemies'  bow-strings  loosened, 
and  they  had  to  stop  to  tighten  them  again  and 
again. 

Whenever  the  Hawikuhkwe  pressed  them  too 
closely,  the  water-shield  sprinkled  them  so  thor 
oughly  that  when  they  nocked  an  arrow  the  sinew 


338  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

bow-string  stretched  like  gum,  and  all  they  could 
do  was  to  stop  and  tighten  their  bow-strings  again. 
Thus  the  boys  were  able  to  near  the  home  of  their 
grandfather,  the  big  Turtle,  now  and  then  shooting 
at  the  leaders  with  their  warring  arrows  and  rarely 
missing  their  marks. 

But  as  they  came  near,  the  people  were  gather 
ing  more  and  more  thickly  in  their  rear,  so  that 
Matsailema  barely  had  time  to  take  his  grandfather 
— who  was  waiting  on  the  bank  of  the  pond — 
upon  his  back. 

"  Now,  run  you  along  in  front  and  we  '11  follow 
behind,"  said  old  Etawa,  as  he  put  one  paw  over 
the  left  shoulder  and  the  other  under  the  right 
arm,  and  clasped  his  legs  tightly  around  the  loins 
of  Matsailema  so  as  to  hug  close  to  his  back. 

"Grandfather,  kutchi !  You  are  as  heavy  as  a 
rock  and  as  hard  as  one,  too,"  said  the  younger 
brother.  "  How  can  I  dodge  those  stinging 
beasts  ?  " 

"  That  's  all  the  better  for  you,"  said  the  old 
Turtle,  loosening  his  grip  a  little ;  "  take  it  easy." 

"  They  're  coming  !  They  're  coming  !  "  shouted 
Ahaiyiita  from  ahead.  "  Hurry,  hurry,  brother 
younger  ;  hurry  !  "  But  Matsailema  could  n't  get 
along  any  faster  than  he  could. 

Presently  the  old  Turtle  glanced  around  and 
saw  that  the  people  were  gaining  on  them  and 
already  drawing  their  bows.  "  Duck  your  head 
down  and  never  mind  them.  Now,  you  '11  see 
what  I  can  do ! "  said  he,  pulling  into  his  shell. 

Thle-e-e,    thle-thle-thle-e-e,     rattled     the     arrows 


Revenge  of  the  Two  Brothers         339 

against  old  Etawa's  shell,  and  the  warriors  were 
already  shouting,  "  Ho-o-o-awiyeishikia  !  " — which 
was  their  cry  of  victory, — when  they  began  to  cry 
out  in  other  tones,  for  tsuiya  !  their  arrows  glanced 
from  old  Turtle's  shell  and  struck  themselves,  so 
that  they  dropped  in  every  direction.  "Terror 
and  blood  !  but  those  beings  can  shoot  fast  and 
hard  ! "  shouted  they  to  one  another,  but  they  kept 
pelting  away  harder  and  faster,  only  to  hit  one 
another  with  the  glancing  arrows. 

"  Hold  !  "'  cried  one  in  advance  of  the  others. 
"  Head  them  off  !  Head  them  off  !  We  're  only 
shooting  ourselves  against  that  black  shield  of 
theirs,  and  the  other  loosens  our  bow-strings." 

But  just  then  Ahaiyuta  reached  the  home  of  his 
other  grandfather,  Amiwili.  Behold  !  he  was  all 
swollen  up  with  food  and  could  hardly  move — only 
wag  his  head  back  and  forth. 

"Are  you  coming?"  groaned  the  old  fellow. 
"  Quick,  get  out  of  the  way,  all  of  you  !  Quick, 
quick  !  " 

Ahaiyuta  jumped  out  of  the  way  just  as  Mat- 
sailema  cried  out :  "  Ha  hua  !  I  can  run  no  farther  ; 
I  must  drop  you,  grandfather," — but  he  saw  Ahai 
yuta  jump  to  one  side,  so  he  followed,  too. 

Old  Amiwili  reared  himself  and,  opening  his 
mouth,  waah  !  week  !  right  and  left  he  threw  the 
lizard  leaves  he  had  been  eating,  until  the  Hawikuh- 
kwe  were  blinded  and  suffocated  by  them,  and,  drop 
ping  their  bows  and  weapons,  began  to  clutch  their 
eyes  from  blindness  and  pain.  And  old  Amiwili 
coughed  and  coughed  till  he  had  blown  nearly  all 


340  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

his  substance  away,  and  there  was  nothing  left 
of  him  but  a  worm  no  bigger  than  your  middle 
finger. 

"  Drop  me  and  make  your  winnings,"  cried  the 
old  Turtle.  "  I  guess  I  can  take  care  of  myself," 
he  chuckled  from  the  inside  of  his  shell  ;  and  it 
was  short  work  for  the  boys  to  cast  down  all  their 
enemies  whom  Amiwili  had  blown  upon,  and  the 
others  fled  terrified  toward  Hawikuh. 

"  Ha,  ha  !  "  laughed  the  two  boys  as  they  began 
to  take  off  the  scalps  of  the  Hawikuhkwe.  "  These 
caps  are  better  than  half  a  flock  of  Turkeys." 

"  Who  '11  proclaim  our  victory  to  our  people  ?  " 
said  they,  suddenly  stopping  ;  and  one  would  have 
thought  they  belonged  to  a  big  village  and  a  great 
tribe  instead  of  to  a  lone  house  on  top  of  Twin 
Mountain,  with  a  single  old  granny  in  it ;  but  then 
that  was  their  way,  you  know. 

"I  will!  I  will!"  cried  the  old  Turtle,  as  he 
waddled  off  toward  Twin  Mountain  and  left  the 
boys  to  skin  scalps. 

When  he  came  to  the  top  of  the  low  hill  south 
of  Master  Canon,  he  stuck  a  stick  up  in  the  air  and 
shouted. 

"Hoo-o/  Hawanawi-i-i-i !  "  which  is  the  shout  of 
victory  ;  and,  not  seeing  the  old  woman,  he  cried 
out  two  or  three  times. 

"  Hoo-o  /  Iwolohkia-a-a  !  "  which,  as  you  know, 
means  "  Murder  !  Murder  ! "  The  old  woman  heard 
it  and  was  frightened.  She  threw  an  old  robe 
over  her  shoulders,  and,  grabbing  up  the  fire-poker, 
started  down  as  fast  as  her  limping  old  limbs 


Revenge  of  the  Two  Brothers         34 l 

would  let  her,  and  nearly  tumbled  over  when  she 
heard  old  Etawa  shout  again,  "  Iwolohkia  !  " 

"Ha!"  said  she;  "  I'll  teach  the  shameless 
Turkey  killers,  if  I  am  an  old  woman  ; "  and  she 
shook  her  fire-poker  in  the  air  until  she  came  up 
to  where  the  old  Turtle  was  waiting. 

Here,  just  as  she  came  near,  the  old  Turtle  pre 
tended  not  to  see  her,  but  stood  up  on  his  legs, 
and,  holding  his  pole  with  one  hand,  cried  out, 
"  Hoo-o  /  Hawanawi-i-i-i!  "  which  was  the  shout  of 
victory,  as  I  told  you  before. 

"  What  is  it  ? "  cried  the  old  woman,  as  she 
limped  along  up  and  said:  "Ah!  ahi!"  ("  My 
poor  old  legs  ! ") 

"  Victory  ! "  said  the  proud  Turtle,  scarcely 
deigning  to  look  at  her.  * 

"  Who  has  this  day  renewed  himself  ?  "  she 
inquired. 

"  Thy  grandchildren,"  answered  the  old  Turtle. 

"Have  they  won?"  asked  the  old  woman,  as 
she  said  :  "  Thanks  this  day  ! " 

"  Many  caps,"  replied  the  Turtle. 

"Will  they  celebrate?" 

"Yes." 

"  Who  will  purify  and  pass  them  ? "  asked  the 
granny. 
'  "  Why,  you  will." 

"  Who  will  bathe  the  scalps  ?  " 

"Why,  I  will." 

1  The  ridiculousness  of  the  dialogue  which  follows  may  readily  be  under 
stood  when  it  is  explained  that  each  office  in  the  celebration  of  victory  has 
to  be  performed  by  a  distinct  individual  of  specified  clans  according  to 
the  function. 


342  ...  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

"  Who  will  swing  the  scalps  round  the  pueblo  ?" 

"  Why,  you  will." 

"  Who  will  adopt  them  ?  " 

"  Why,  you  will." 

"  Who  will  bring  out  the  feast  ?  " 

"Why,  you  will." 

•'  Who  will  be  the  priest  of  initiation  ?" 

"Why,  I  will." 

"  Who  will  be  the  song-master  ?  " 

"  Why,  I  will." 

"  Who  will  be  the  dancers  ?  " 

"Why,  I  will." 

"Who  will  draw  the  arrows  and  sacrifice  them?" 

"  Why,  I  will." 

"  Who  will  strive  for  the  sacrificed  arrows?" 

"  Why,  I  will." 

"  Who  will  lead  the  dance  of  victory  ?" 

"  Why,  I  will." 

"  Who  will  be  the  dancers?" 

"Why,  I  will." 

"  Who  will  go  to  get  the  women  to  join  the 
dance?" 

"  Why,  I  will." 

"  What  women  will  dance  ?" 

"  Why,  you  will." 

"Who  will  take  them  to  preside  at  the  feast 
of  their  relatives-in-law  ?  " 

"Why,  you  will." 

"  Who  will  be  their  relatives-in-law  ?  " 

"  Why,  you  will." 

"  Who  will  be  the  priests  of  their  Father 
Society?" 


Revenge  of  the  Two  Broth 


"  Why,  I  will." 

And  they  might  have  talked  that  way  till  sunset 
had  not  the  voices  of  the  two  boys,  singing  the 
song  of  victory,  been  heard  coming  over  the  hill. 
There  they  were,  coming  with  two  great  strings 
of  scalps  as  big  as  a  bunch  of  buckskins. 

"  Oh  !  poor  me !  How  shall  I  swing  all  those 
scalps  round  the  pueblo  ? "  groaned  the  poor  old 
woman  as  she  limped  off  to  dress  for  the  ceremony. 

"  Why,  swing  them,"  answered  the  old  Turtle, 
as  he  stretched  himself  up  with  the  importance 
of  being  master  of  ceremonies. 

So  the  boys  brought  the  scalps  up  and  the  old 
Turtle  strung  them  thickly  on  a  long  pole. 

So  day  after  day  they  danced  and  sang,  to  add 
strands  to  the  width  of  the  boys'  badges.  And 
the  old  Turtle  was  master-priest  of  ceremonies 
and  people,  low  priest,  song-master,  and  dancers  ; 
sacrificer  of  arrows  and  striver  after  the  arrows. 
He  would  beat  the  drum  and  sing  a  little,  then 
run  and  dance  out  the  measure  ;  but  it  was  very 
hard  work. 

And  the  old  woman  was  mother  of  the  children 
and  sisters,  and  their  clan,  and  somebody's  else 
clan,  matron  of  ceremonials,  and  maidens  of  cere 
monials — all  at  the  same  time  ; — but  it  was  very 
hard  work,  consequently  they  did  n't  get  along 
very  well. 

That 's  the  reason  why  today  we  have  so  many 
song-masters  and  singers,  dance  leaders  and  dan 
cers,  priests  and  common  people,  father  clans  and 
mother  clans,  in  the  great  Ceremony  of  Victory. 


344  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

Thus  it  happened  with  Ahaiyuta  and  Matsailema 
and  their  old  grandmother,  and  their  grandfathers 
the  Rainbow-worm  and  the  old  Turtle.  That  is 
the  reason  why  rainbow-worms  are  no  bigger  than 
your  finger  now,  because  their  great  grandfather 
blew  all  his  substance  away  at  the  Hawikuhkwe. 
That 's  the  reason  why  the  great  Turtles  in  the 
far-away  Waters  of  the  World  are  so  much  bigger 
than  their  brothers  and  sisters  here,  and  have 
so  many  marks  on  their  shells,  where  the  arrows 
glanced  across  the  shield  of  their  great  grand 
father.  For  old  Etawa  was  so  proud  after  he  had 
been  the  great  master  of  ceremonies  that  he 
despised  his  old  pond,  and  went  off  to  seek  a  new 
home  in  the  Western  Waters  of  the  World,  and 
his  grandchildren  never  grew  any  bigger  after 
he  went  away,  and  their  descendants  are  just  as 
small  as  they  were. 

And  thus  shortens  my  story. 


Photo  by  A.  C.  Vroman 


THE  PINNACLES  OF  THUNDER  MOUNTAIN 


THE     YOUNG     SWIFT- RUNNER    WHO 

WAS  STRIPPED  OF  HIS  CLOTHING 

BY  THE  AGED  TARANTULA 

ALONG,  long  time  ago,  in  K'iakime,  there 
lived  a  young  man,  the  son  of  the  priest-chief 
of  the  town.  It  was  this  young  man's  custom  to 
dress  himself  as  for  a  dance  and  run  entirely 
around  Thunder  Mountain  each  morning  before 
the  sun  rose,  before  making  his  prayers.  He  was 
a  handsome  young  man,  and  his  costume  was 
beautiful  to  behold. 

Now,  below  the  two  broad  columns  of  rock  which 
stand  at  the  southeastern  end  of  Thunder  Moun 
tain,  and  which  are  called  Ak'yapaatch-ella, — 
below  these,  in  the  base  of  the  mountain,  an  old, 
old  Tarantula  had  his  den.  Of  a  morning,  as  the 
young  man  in  his  beautiful  dress  sped  by,  the  old 
Tarantula  heard  the  horn-bells  which  were  attached 
to  his  belt  and  saw  him  as  he  passed,  this  young 
Swift-runner,  and  he  thought  to  himself  :  "  Ah,  ha  ! 
Now  if  I  could  only  get  his  fine  apparel  away  from 
him,  what  luck  it  would  be  for  me  !  I  will  wait 
for  him  the  next  time." 

Early  the  next  morning,  just  as  the  sun  peeped 
over  the  lid  of  the  world,  sure  enough  the  old 
Tarantula  heard  the  horn-bells,  and,  thrusting  his 
head  out  of  his  den,  waited.  As  the  young  man 
approached,  he  called  out  to  him  :  "  Hold,  my 
young  friend  ;  come  here  !  " 

345 


348  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

turned  himself  around  and  plunged  headforemost 
into  his  hole. 

"  Out  upon  him  ! "  cried  the  young  man,  as  he 
stood  there  with  his  head  bowed,  and  thinking. 
"  Out  upon  the  old  rascal !  That  is  the  trick  he 
serves  me,  is  it  ?  Fearful ! "  said  he.  "  What 
shall  I  do  now  ?  I  can  't  go  home  naked,  or  half 
naked.  Well,  but  I  suppose  I  will  have  to,"  said 
he  to  himself.  And,  bending  down,  he  reached 
for  the  hairy  gray-blue  breech-cloth  that  had  been 
left  there  by  the  old  Tarantula,  and  the  skirt,  and 
put  them  on,  and  took  his  way  swiftly  home 
ward. 

When  he  reached  home  the  sun  was  high,  which 
never  had  happened  before,  so  that  the  old  people 
had  been  thinking,  "  Surely,  something  must  have 
happened  to  our  young  man  that  he  comes  not  as 
early  as  usual. "  And  when  he  came,  they  said  : 
"  What  has  happened  that  has  detained  you  so  ?  " 

"Ha!"  replied  the  youth;  "the  old  Tarantula 
that  lives  under  the  Ak'yapaatch-ella  has  stripped 
me  of  my  garments,  and  with  them  has  run  away 
into  his  hole." 

"  We  thought  something  of  the  kind  must  have 
happened,"  said  his  old  father. 

"  Send  for  your  warrior  priest,"  said  the  other 
old  ones.  "  Let  us  see  what  he  thinks  about  this, 
and  what  shall  be  done." 

So  the  priest-chief  sent  for  his  warrior  priest, 
and  when  the  latter  had  come,  he  asked  :  "  Why  is 
it  that  you  have  sent  for  me  ?  " 

"  True,  we  have  sent  for  you,"  said  the  father, 


The  Young  Swift-Runner  349 

"  because  Old  Tarantula  has  stripped  my  son  of  his 
handsome  apparel,  which  is  sacred  and  precious, 
and  we  therefore  hold  it  a  great  loss  to  him  and 
us.  How  do  you  think  we  can  recover  what  has 
been  stolen  ?  " 

The  warrior  priest  thought  a  moment,  and  said  : 
"  I  should  think  we  would  have  to  dig  him  out,  for 
it  is  n't  likely  he  will  show  himself  far  from  his  den 
again." 

So  the  warrior  priest  went  out  on  the  tops  of  the 
houses,  and  called  to  his  people  : 

"  I  instruct  ye  this  day,  oh,  my  people  and  chil 
dren  !  Listen  to  my  instruction  !  Our  child,  in 
running  to  and  from  his  prayers  this  very  morning 
was  intercepted  by  Old  Tarantula,  who,  through 
his  skill  and  cunning,  succeeded  in  stripping  our 
child  of  his  handsome  apparel.  Therefore,  I  in 
struct  ye,  make  haste  !  Gather  together  digging- 
sticks  and  hoes  ;  let  us  all  go  and  dig  out  the  old 
villain  ;  let  the  whole  town  turn  out,  women  as  well 
as  men  and  children.  My  daughters,  ye  women  of 
this  town,  take  with  ye  basket-bowls  and  baskets 
and  other  things  wherewith  ye  gather  material  for 
plaster,  with  which  to  convey  away  the  sand  and 
earth  that  is  dug  up  by  the  men.  Thus  much  I 
instruct  ye  !  Make  haste  all  !  "  Whereupon  he 
descended,  and,  after  eating,  led  the  way  toward 
the  den  of  Old  Tarantula. 

When  the  people  had  also  eaten  and  followed, 
they  began  to  work  swiftly  at  tunnelling  into  the 
hole  of  the  Tarantula ;  and  thus  they  worked  and 
worked  from  morning  till  night,  but  did  not  over- 


350  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

take  him,  until  at  last  they  reached  the  solid  rock 
foundations  of  the  mountain.  They  had  filled 
their  baskets  and  basket-bowls  with  the  sand,  and 
cast  it  behind  them,  and  others  had  cast  it  behind 
them,  and  so  on  until  a  large  hillock  of  earth 
and  sand  had  been  raised,  but  still  they  had  not 
overtaken  Old  Tarantula.  Now,  when  they  had 
reached  the  solid  rock  foundations  of  the  moun 
tain,  they  saw  that  the  hole  yawned  like  a  cave 
before  them,  and  that  it  was  needless  to  follow 
farther.  They  gave  up  in  despair,  saying  :  "  What 
more  can  we  do  ?  Let  us  go  home.  Let  us  give 
it  up,  since  we  must."  And  they  took  their  ways 
homeward. 

Now,  in  the  evening  the  old  ones  of  the  town 
were  very  thoughtful,  and  they  gathered  together 
and  talked  the  matter  over,  and  finally  it  was  sug 
gested  by  someone  in  answer  to  the  query,  "  What 
can  we  do  to  recover  our  son's  lost  garments?" 
"Suppose  that  we  send  for  the  Great  Kingfisher? 
He  is  wise,  crafty,  swift  of  flight ;  he  dashes  him 
self  from  on  high,  even  into  the  water,  and  takes 
him  therefrom  whatsoever  he  will,  swift  though  it 
be,  without  fail.  Suppose  we  send  for  him,  our 
grandfather  ?  " 

"  Ah,  ha  !  that 's  it,"  replied  others.  "  Send  for 
him  straightway." 

So  the  master  warrior  priest  called  to  Young 
Swift-runner,  and  sent  him  to  the  Hill  of  the 
Great  Kingfisher. 

"  What  is  it  ?"  asked  Kingfisher,  when  he  heard 
someone  at  the  entrance  of  his  house. 


The  Young  Swift-Runner  35 1 

11  Come  quickly  !  In  council  the  old  ones  of  our 
town  await  you,"  said  the  young  man. 

So  Great  Kingfisher  followed,  and,  arriving  at 
the  council,  greeted  them  and  asked :  "  What  is  it 
you  would  have  of  me  ?  " 

Said  they :  "  Old  Tarantula  has  stripped  our 
young  man,  Swift-runner,  of  his  beautiful  gar 
ments,  and  how  to  recover  them  we  know  not. 
We  have  dug  away  the  den,  even  to  the  founda 
tion  of  the  mountain,  but  beyond  this  it  extends. 
What  to  do  we  know  not.  So  we  have  sent  for 
you,  knowing  your  power  and  ability  to  quickly 
snatch  even  from  under  the  waters  whatsoever 
you  will." 

"  Ah,  ha !  I  will  take  a  step  toward  this  thing," 
said  Great  Kingfisher,  "  but  it  is  a  difficult  task 
you  place  before  me.  Old  Tarantula  is  exceedingly 
cunning  and  very  keen  of  sight,  moreover.  I  will, 
however,  take  a  step,  and  if  I  have  good  luck  will 
be  able  to  bring  back  to  you  something  of  what  he 
has  stolen."  He  then  made  his  adieu,  and  went 
back  to  his  house  at  the  Hill  of  the  Kingfisher. 

Very  early  the  next  morning  he  took  his  swift 
way  to  the  Ak'yapaatch-ella,  and  there  where  the 
columns  of  rock  fork  he  lay  himself  down  between 
them,  like  a  little  finger  between  two  other  fingers, 
merely  thrusting  his  beak  over  the  edge,  and  look 
ing  at  the  opening  of  Old  Tarantula's  hole. 

The  plumes  of  sunlight  were  but  barely  gleam 
ing  on  the  farther  edge  of  the  world  when  Old 
Tarantula  cast  his  eyes  just  out  of  the  edge  of  his 
hole,  and  looked  all  around.  Eyes  like  many  eyes 


352  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

had  he,  wonderfully  sharp  and  clear.  With  these 
he  looked  all  around,  as  might  have  been  expected. 
He  discovered  Great  Kingfisher,  little-so-ever  of 
him  showing,  and  called  out :  "  Heee!  Wdloi  weee!  " 
("  Ho,  ho  !  skulker  skulking.  Ho,  ho  !  skulker 
skulking!")  Instantly  Great  Kingfisher  shook 
out  his  wings,  and  thluooo,  descended  like  a  breath 
of  strong  wind  ;  and  thlu-u-u-kwa,  finished  his  flight 
like  a  loosed  arrow  ;  but  he  merely  brushed  the 
tips  of  the  plumes  in  Old  Tarantula's  head-knot, 
and  the  creature  doubled  himself  up  and  headfore 
most  plunged  into  his  hole.  Once  in,  "Ha,  ha!" 
said  he.  "  Good  for  him  !  Good  !  Good  !  Let's 
have  a  dance,  and  sing,"  said  he,  talking  to  himself  ; 
and  thereupon  he  pranced  up,  jigged  about  his  dark, 
deep  room,  singing  this  song  : 

"  OhatchiKya  ti  Tdkwa, 
Ai yaa  Tdkwa  ! 
Ohatchik'ya  Hi  Tdkwa, 
Ohatchikya  Hi  Tdkwa  f 
Ai  yaa  Tdkwa! 
Ai  yaa  Tdkwa! 

Tdkwa,  Tdkwa!" 

Thus  singing,  he  danced, — surely  a  song  that 
nobody  but  he  could  dance  to,  if  it  be  a  song,  but 
he  danced  to  it.  And  when  he  had  finished  jigging 
about,  he  looked  at  his  fluttering  garments,  and 
said  :  "  Ha,  ha  !  Just  look  at  my  fine  dress  !  Now 
am  I  not  handsome  ?  I  tell  you  I  am  handsome  ! 
Now,  let  's  have  another  dance  !"  And  again  he 
sang  at  the  top  of  his  wheezing  voice,  and  pranced 


The  Young  Swift-Runner  353 

round  on  his  crooked  hind  legs,  with  his  fine  gar 
ments  fluttering. 

But  Great  Kingfisher,  with  wings  drooping  and 
beak  gaped  down  at  the  corners, — as  though  being 
hungry  he  had  tried  to  catch  a  fish  and  had  n't 
caught  him, — took  his  way  back  to  the  council  ; 
and  he  said  to  the  people  there  :  "  No  use  !  I  failed 
utterly.  As  I  said  before,  he  is  a  crafty,  keen- 
sighted  old  fellow.  What  more  have  I  to  say  ? " 
He  made  his  adieus,  and  took  his  way  back  to  the 
Hill  of  the  Kingfisher. 

Again  the  people  talked  with  one  another  and 
considered ;  and  at  last  said  some  :  "  Inasmuch  as 
he  has  failed,  let  us  send  for  our  grandfather, 
Great  Eagle.  He,  of  all  living  creatures  with 
wings,  is  swiftest  and  keenest  of  sight,  strong  of 
grasp,  hooked  of  beak,  whatever  getting  holding, 
and  getting  whatever  he  will." 

They  sent  for  the  Eagle.  He  came,  and  when 
made  acquainted  with  their  wishes  turned  quickly, 
and  said,  in  bidding  them  adieu  :  "  I  think  that 
possibly  I  can  succeed,  though  surely,  as  my 
brother  has  said,  Old  Tarantula  is  a  crafty,  keen- 
sighted  creature.  I  will  do  my  best." 

Early  the  next  morning  he  took  his  way,  before 
sunrise,  to  the  peak  of  the  Mountain  of  the  Badgers, 
a  long  distance  away  from  Ak'yapaatch-ella,  but 
still  as  no  distance  to  the  Eagle.  There  he  stood, 
with  his  head  raised  to  the  winds,  turning  first  one 
eye,  then  the  other,  on  the  entrance  of  Old  Taran 
tula's  den,  until  Old  Tarantula  again  thrust  out  his 
woolly  nose,  as  might  have  been  expected.  He 


354  Zufii  Folk  Tales 

discovered  the  Eagle,  and  was  just  shouting  "  Ho, 
skulker,  skulking  ! "  when  the  Eagle  swept  like  a 
singing  stone  loosed  from  the  sling  straight  at  the 
head  of  Old  Tarantula.  But  his  wings  hissed  and 
buzzed  past  the  hole  harmlessly,  and  his  crooked 
talons  reached  down  into  the  dark,  clutching  noth 
ing  save  one  of  the  plumes  in  Old  Tarantula's 
head-dress.  Even  this  he  failed  to  bring  away. 

The  Old  Tarantula  tumbled  headlong  into  his 
lower  room,  and  exclaimed:  "  Ha,  ha!  Goodness 
save  us !  What  a  startling  he  gave  me  !  But  he 
did  n't  get  me  !  No,  he  did  n't  get  me  !  Let 's 
have  a  dance  !  Jig  it  down  !  What  a  fine  fellow  I 
am  ! "  And  he  began  to  prance  about,  and  jig  and 
sing  as  he  had  sung  before  : 

"  OhatchiKya  ti  Tdkwa, 

Aiyaa  Tdkwa! 

OhatchiKya  Hi  Tdkwa, 

OhatchiKya  Hi  Tdkwa  ! 

Ai yaa  Tdkwa! 

Ai  yaa  Tdkwa  J 

Tdkwa,    Tdkwa!" 

As  soon  as  he  paused  for  breath,  he  glanced 
askance  at  his  fluttering  bright  garments  and  cried 
out :  "  Ho  !  what  a  handsome  fellow  I  am  !  How 
finely  dressed  I  am  !  Let 's  have  another  dance  !  " 
And  again  he  danced  and  sang,  all  by  himself,  ad 
miring  himself,  answering  his  own  questions,  and 
watching  his  own  movements.  But  Great  Eagle, 
crest-fallen  and  shame-smitten,  took  his  way  to  the 
place  of  the  council,  reported  his  failure,  and  made 
his  adieu. 


The  Young  Swift-Runner  355 

Then  again  the  people  considered,  and  the  old 
ones  decided  to  send  for  Hatchutsanona  (the  Lesser 
Falcon),  whose  plumage  is  hard  and  smooth  and 
speckled,  gray  and  brown,  like  the  rocks  and  sage 
brush,  and  who,  being  swift  as  the  Kingfisher,  and 
strong  as  the  Eagle,  and  small,  is  not  only  able  to 
fly  where  other  birds  fly,  but  can  penetrate  the 
closest  thicket  when  seeking  his  prey,  for  trimmed 
he  is  like  a  well-feathered  arrow.  They  sent  for 
him  ;  he  came  and,  being  made  acquainted  with 
the  facts  of  the  case,  said  he  could  but  try,  though 
he  modestly  affirmed  that  when  his  elder  brothers, 
Great  Kingfisher  and  Great  Eagle,  had  made  such 
efforts,  it  were  well-nigh  needless  for  him  to  try, 
and  repeated  what  they  had  said  of  the  cunning  and 
keenness  of  sight  of  Old  Tarantula. 

But  he  went  early  the  next  morning,  and  placed 
himself  on  the  very  edge  of  the  high  cliff  over 
hanging  the  columns  of  rock  and  looking  into  the 
den  of  Old  Tarantula.  There,  when  the  sun  rose, 
you  could  scarcely  have  seen  him,  even  though  near 
you  might  have  been,  for  his  coat  of  gray  and 
brown  was  like  the  rocks  and  dry  grass  around  him, 
and  he  lay  very  close  to  the  ground,  like  an  autumn 
leaf  beaten  down  by  the  rain.  By-and-by  Old  Ta 
rantula  thrust  out  his  rugged  face,  and  turned  his 
eyes  in  every  direction,  up  and  down  ;  then  twisted 
his  head  from  side  to  side.  He  saw  nothing.  He 
had  even  poked  his  head  entirely  out  of  his  hole, 
and  his  shoulders  were  just  visible,  when  Lesser 
Falcon  bestirred  himself,  and  Old  Tarantula, 
alas  !  saw  him  ;  not  in  time  to  wholly  save  himself, 


356  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

however,  for  Lesser  Falcon,  with  a  sweep  of  his 
wings  like  the  swirl  of  a  snowdrift,  shot  into  the 
mouth  of  Old  Tarantula's  den,  grasped  at  his  head, 
and  brought  away  with  him  the  macaw  plumes  of 
the  youth's  head-dress. 

Down  into  his  den  tumbled  Old  Tarantula,  and 
he  sat  down  and  bent  himself  double  with  fright 
and  chagrin.  He  wagged  his  head  to  and  fro,  and 
sighed  :  "  Alas  !  alas  !  my  beautiful  head-dress  ; 
the  skulking  wretch  !  My  beautiful  head-dress  ;  he 
has  taken  it  from  me.  What  is  the  use  of  bother 
ing  about  a  miserable  bunch  of  macaw  feathers, 
anyway  ?  They  get  dirty,  they  get  bent  and 
broken,  moths  eat  them,  they  change  their  color ; 
what  is  the  use  of  troubling  myself  about  a  worth 
less  thing  like  that  ?  Have  n't  I  still  the  finest 
costume  in  the  valley  ? — handsome  leggings  and 
embroidered  skirt  and  mantle,  sleeves  as  pretty  as 
flowers  in  summer,  necklaces  worth  fifty  head- 
plumes,  and  earrings  worth  a  handful  of  such 
necklaces  ?  Ha,  ha  !  let  him  away  with  the  old 
head-plumes  !  Let 's  have  a  dance,  and  dance  her 
down,  old  fellow  ! "  said  he,  talking  to  himself. 
And  again  he  skipped  about,  and  sang  his  tune 
less  song  : 

"  Ohatchik'ya  ti  Tdkwa, 
Ai  yaa  Tdkwa! 
OhatchiKya  Hi  Tdkwa, 
Ohatchik'ya  Hi  Tdkwa  ! 
Ai  yaa  Tdkwa, 
Ai  yaa  Tdkwa. 

Tdkwa,    Tdkwa!" 


The  Young  Swift-Runner  357 

He  admired  himself  as  much  as  before.  "  For 
sooth,"  said  he  ;  "  I  could  not  have  seen  the  head- 
plume  for  I  would  have  worn  it  in  the  back  of 
my  head." 

The  Lesser  Falcon,  cursing  at  his  half-luck,  took 
his  way  back  to  the  council,  and,  casting  the  head- 
plume  at  the  feet  of  the  old  men,  said  :  "  Alas  ! 
my  fathers ;  this  is  the  best  I  could  do,  for  before 
I  had  fairly  taken  my  flight,  Old  Tarantula  dis 
covered  me  and  made  into  his  den.  But  this  I 
got,  and  I  bring  it  to  you.  May  others  succeed 
better  ! " 

"  Thou  hast  succeeded  exceeding  well,  for  most 
precious  are  these  plumes  from  Summerland,"  said 
the  old  priest.  "  Thanks  be  to  you,  this  day,  my 
grandfather  ! "  And  the  Lesser  Falcon  took  his 
way  to  the  thickets  and  hillsides. 

Then  the  people  said  to  one  another  :  "  What 
more  is  there  to  be  done  ?  We  must  even  have 
recourse  to  the  Gods,  it  seems."  And  they  called 
Swift-runner  and  said  to  him  :  "  Of  the  feathered 
creatures  we  have  chosen  the  wisest  and  swiftest 
and  strongest  to  aid  us  ;  yet  they  have  failed 
mainly.  Therefore,  we  would  even  send  you  to  the 
Gods,  for  your  performance  of  duty  to  them  has 
been  faithful  from  morning  to  morning."  So  they 
instructed  him  to  climb  to  the  top  of  Thunder 
Mountain  and  visit  the  home  of  the  two  War- 
gods,  Ahaiyuta  and  Matsailema,  for  in  those  days 
they  still  dwelt  on  the  top  of  Thunder  Mountain 
with  their  old  grandmother,  at  the  Middle  Place 
of  Sacrifice. 


358  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

The  priests  in  the  town  prepared  sacrificial 
plumes  and  divided  their  treasures  for  the  Gods, 
and  again  calling  the  young  man,  presented  them 
to  him  as  their  messenger,  bidding  him  bear  to 
the  Gods  their  greetings. 

On  the  morning  following,  he  climbed  the  steep 
path  and  soon  neared  the  dwelling  of  the  Gods 
and  their  grandmother.  She  was  on  the  roof  of 
the  house,  while  the  two  bad  boys — always  out  of 
the  way  when  wanted,  and  never  ceasing  to  play 
their  pranks,  as  was  their  little  way,  you  know — 
were  down  in  the  lower  rooms.  The  old  grand 
mother  bade  the  youth  to  enter,  and  called  out  to 
her  grandchildren,  the  two  Gods  :  "  My  children, 
come  up,  both  of  you,  quickly.  A  young  man  has 
arrived  to  see  you,  bringing  greetings."  So  they 
cast  off  their  playful  behavior,  and  with  great  gravity 
came  into  the  room,  and  looking  up  to  the  tall 
youth,  said  :  "  Thou  hast  come.  May  it  be  happily. 
Sit  down.  What  is  it  that  thou  wouldst  have  ? 
because  for  nothing  no  stranger  comes  to  the 
house  of  another." 

"It  is  true,  this  which  you  say,"  said  the  youth 
reverently,  breathing  on  his  hands.  "  O  ye,  my 
fathers  !  I  bring  greetings  from  the  fathers  of 
my  town  below  the  mountain,  and  offerings  from 
them." 

"  It  is  well  thus,  my  child,"  replied  the  Gods. 

"  And  I  bring  also  my  burden  of  trouble,  that  I 
may  listen  to  your  counsel,  and  perchance  implore 
your  aid,"  said  the  youth. 

"  What  is  it  ?"  said  the  Two  ;  and  they  listened. 


The  Young  Swift-Runner  359 

Then  the  youth  related  his  misfortune,  telling 
how  he  had  been  stripped  of  his  clothing  by  Old 
Tarantula ;  how  the  old  ones,  gathered  in  council, 
had  sought  the  aid,  one  after  another,  of  the 
wisest  and  swiftest  of  feathered  beings,  but  with 
little  success ;  how  they  had  at  last  counselled  his 
coming  to  them,  the  fathers  of  the  people  in  times 
of  difficulty  and  strife. 

"  Grandmother  !  "  shouted  the  younger  brother 
War-god.  "  Make  haste !  Make  haste,  grand 
mother  !  Bestir  yourself !  Grind  flour  for  us. 
Let  it  be  rock  flour  ! " 

The  old  grandmother  gathered  some  white  cal 
careous  sandstone  called  kttchipawe.  She  broke 
those  rocks  into  fragments  and  ground  them  into 
meal ;  then  reduced  them  on  a  finer  stone  to  soft, 
impalpable  powder.  She  made  dough  of  this  with 
water,  and  the  two  Gods,  with  wonderful  skill, 
molded  this  dough,  as  it  hardened,  into  figures 
of  elk-kind, — two  deer  and  two  antelope  images 
they  made.  When  they  had  finished  these,  they 
placed  them  before  the  youth,  and  said :  "  Take 
these  and  stand  them  on  the  sacrificial  rock-shelf 
or  terrace  on  the  southern  side  of  our  mountain, 
with  prayer  to  the  gods  over  them.  Return  to 
your  home,  and  tell  the  old  ones  what  we  have 
directed  you  to  do.  Tell  them  also  where  we 
said  you  should  place  these  beings,  for  such  they 
will  become  upon  the  rock-shelf ;  and  you  should 
go  to  greet  them  in  the  morning  and  guide  them 
with  you  toward  the  den  of  Old  Tarantula, — Old 
Tarantula  is  very  fond  of  hunting  ;  nothing  is  so 


360  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

pleasing  to  him  as  to  kill  anything, — that  thereby 
he  may  be  tempted  forth  from  his  hiding-place  in 
his  den." 

The  youth  did  as  he  was  directed,  and  when  he 
had  placed  the  figures  of  the  deer  and  the  antelope 
in  a  row  on  the  shelf,  and  reached  home,  he  in 
formed  the  old  ones  of  the  word  that  had  been 
sent  to  them. 

His  father,  the  old  priest-chief,  called  the  war 
rior  priest,  and  said  to  him  :  "  It  may  be  possible 
that  Old  Tarantula  will  be  tempted  forth  from  his 
den  tomorrow.  Would  it  not  be  well  for  us  to 
take  the  war-path  against  him  ?  " 

"  It  would,  indeed,  be  well,"  said  the  warrior 
priest.  And  the  priest-chief  went  to  the  house-top 
and  called  to  the  people,  saying : 

"  O,  ye,  my  people  and  children,  I  instruct  ye 
today !  Let  the  young  men  and  the  warriors 
gather  and  prepare  as  for  war.  By  means  of  the 
sacred  images  which  have  been  made  by  the  Two 
Beloved  for  our  son,  Swift-runner,  it  may  be  that 
we  shall  succeed  in  tempting  Old  Tarantula  forth 
from  his  den  tomorrow.  Let  us  be  prepared  to 
capture  him.  Make  haste  !  Make  ready  !  Thus 
much  I  instruct  ye." 

In  great  haste,  as  if  under  the  influence  of  joy 
ful  tidings  indeed,  the  people  prepared  for  war, 
gathered  together  in  great  numbers,  testing  the 
strength  of  their  bows,  and  with  much  racket  issued 
forth  from  the  town  under  Thunder  Mountain, 
spreading  over  all  the  foot-hills.  And  toward  day 
light  the  youth  alone  took  his  way  toward  the  sac- 


The  Young  Swift-Runner  361 

rificial  rock-shelf  on  the  side  of  the  mountain. 
When  he  arrived  there,  behold  !  the  two  Antelopes 
and  the  two  Deer  were  tamely  walking  about, 
cropping  the  grass  and  tender  leaves,  and  as  he 
approached,  they  said  :  "  So,  here  you  are." 

"  Now,  this  day,  behold,  my  children  ! "  said  he 
in  his  prayer.  "  Even  for  the  reason  that  we  have 
made  ye  beings,  follow  my  instructions,  oh,  do ! 
Most  wickedly  and  shamefully  has  Old  Tarantula, 
living  below  Ak'yapaatch-ella,  robbed  me  of  my 
sacred  fine  apparel.  I  therefore  call  ye  to  aid  me. 
Go  ye  now  toward  his  home,  that  he  may  be 
tempted  forth  by  the  sight  of  ye." 

Obediently  the  Deer  and  Antelope  took  their  way 
down  the  sloping  sides  of  the  foot-hills  toward  Old 
Tarantula's  den.  As  they  neared  the  den  the 
youth  called  out  from  one  of  the  valleys  below, 
" Hu-u-u-u-u-u !  Hasten!  There  go  some  deer 
and  antelope  !  Whoever  may  be  near  them,  under 
stand,  there  go  some  deer  and  antelope  ! " 

Old  Tarantula  was  talking  to  himself,  as  usual, 
down  in  his  inner  room.  He  heard  the  faint  sound. 
"  Ha  !  "  cried  he,  "  what  is  this  humming  ?  Some 
body  calling,  no  doubt."  He  skipped  out  toward 
the  doorway  just  as  the  young  man  called  the 
second  time.  "  Ah,  ha  !  "  said  he.  "  He  says  deer 
are  coming,  does  n't  he  ?  Let  us  see."  And 
presently,  when  the  young  man  called  the  third 
time,  he  exclaimed  :  "  That 's  it !  that  is  what  he  is 
calling  out.  Now  for  a  hunt !  I  might  as  well  get 
them  as  anyone  else." 

He  caught  up  his  bow,  slipped  the  noose  over 


362  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

the  head  of  it,  twanged  the  string,  and  started. 
But  just  as  he  was  going  out  of  his  hole,  he  said  to 
himself  :  "  Good  daylight !  this  never  will  do  ;  they 
will  be  after  me  if  I  go  out.  Oh,  pshaw  !  Non 
sense  !  they  will  do  nothing  of  the  kind.  What 
does  it  matter?  Haven't  I  bow  and  arrows  with 
me?"  He  leaped  out  of  his  hole  and  started  off 
toward  the  Deer.  As  he  gained  an  eminence,  he 
cried  :  "  Ah,  ha  !  sure  enough,  there  they  come  !  " 
Indeed,  he  was  telling  the  truth.  The  Deer  still 
approached,  and  when  the  first  one  came  near  he 
drew  an  arrow  strongly  and  let  fly.  One  of  them 
dropped  at  once.  "  Ah,  ha  !  "  cried  he,  "  who  says  I 
am  not  a  good  hunter  ?  "  He  whipped  out  another 
arrow,  and  fired  at  the  second  Deer,  which  dropped 
where  it  had  stood.  With  more  exclamations  of  de 
light,  he  shot  at  the  Antelope  following,  which  fell ; 
and  then  at  the  last  one,  which  fell  as  the  others  had. 
"  Now,"  said  he,  "  I  suppose  I  might  as  well  take 
my  meat  home.  Fine  game  I  have  bagged  today." 
He  untied  the  strap  which  he  had  brought  along 
and  tied  together  the  legs  of  the  first  deer  he  had 
shot.  He  stooped  down,  raised  the  deer,  knelt  on 
the  ground  and  drew  the  strap  over  his  forehead, 
and  was  just  about  to  rise  with  his  burden  and 
make  off  for  his  den  when,  klo-o-o-o-o  /  he  fell 
down  almost  crushed  under  a  mass  of  white  rock. 
"  Goodness  !  what 's  this  ?  Mercy,  but  this  is  start 
ling  !"  He  looked  around,  but  he  saw  nothing  of 
his  game  save  a  shapeless  mass  of  white  rock. 
"Well,  I  will  try  this  other  one,"  said  he  to  him 
self.  He  had  no  sooner  placed  the  other  on  his 


The  Young  Swift-Runner  363 

back  than  down  it  bore  him,  another  mass  of  white 
rock  !  "  What  can  be  the  matter  ?  The  devil  must 
be  to  pay  ! "  said  he.  Then  he  tried  the  next,  with 
no  better  success.  "  Well,  there  is  one  left,  any 
way,"  said  he.  He  tied  the  feet  of  the  last  one 
together,  and  was  about  to  place  the  strap  over  his 
forehead,  when  he  heard  a  mighty  and  thundering 
tread  and  great  shouting  and  a  terrible  noise  alto 
gether,  for  the  people  were  already  gathering  about 
his  den.  He  made  for  the  mouth  of  it  with  all 
possible  speed,  but  the  people  were  there  before 
him  ;  they  closed  in  upon  him,  they  clutched  at  his 
stolen  garments,  they  pulled  his  earrings  out  of  his 
ears,  slitting  his  ears  in  doing  so,  until  he  put  up 
his  hands  and  cried  :  "  Death  and  ashes  !  Mercy  ! 
Mercy  !  You  hurt !  You  hurt !  Don't  treat  me 
so  !  I  '11  be  good  hereafter.  I  '11  take  the  clothing 
off  and  give  it  back  to  you  without  making  the 
slightest  trouble,  if  you  will  let  me  alone."  But 
the  people  closed  in  still  more  angrily,  and  pulled 
him  about,  buffeted  him,  tore  his  clothing  from 
him,  until  he  was  left  nude  and  bruised  and  so 
maimed  that  he  could  hardly  move. 

Then  the  old  priests  gathered  around,  and  said 
one  of  them  :  "  It  will  not  be  well  if  we  let  this 
beast  go  as  he  is  ;  he  is  too  large,  too  powerful, 
and  too  crafty.  He  has  but  to  think  of  destruc 
tion  ;  forsooth,  he  destroys.  He  has  but  to  think 
of  over-reaching ;  it  is  accomplished.  It  will  not 
be  well  that  he  should  go  abroad  thus.  He  must 
be  roasted ;  and  thus  only  can  we  rid  the  world 
of  him  as  he  is." 


364  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

So  the  people  assembled  and  heaped  up  great 
quantities  of  dry  firewood;  and  they  drilled  fire 
from  a  stick,  and  lighted  the  mass.  Then  they 
cast  the  struggling  Tarantula  amid  the  flames,  and 
he  squeaked  and  sizzled  and  hissed,  and  swelled 
and  swelled  and  swelled,  until,  with  a  terrific  noise, 
he  burst,  and  the  fragments  of  his  carcass  were 
cast  to  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth.  These 
parts  again  took  shape  as  beings  not  unlike  Old 
Tarantula  himself. 

Thus  it  was  in  the  days  of  the  ancients.  And 
therefore  today,  though  crooked  are  the  legs  of 
the  tarantula,  and  his  habit  of  progress  backward, 
still  he  is  distributed  throughout  the  great  world. 
Only  he  is  very,  very  much  smaller  than  was  the 
Great  Tarantula  who  lived  below  the  two  rocky 
columns  of  Thunder  Mountain. 

Thus  shortens  my  story. 


ATAHSAIA,  THE  CANNIBAL  DEMON 

IN  the  days  of  the  ancients,  when  the  children 
of  our  forefathers  lived  in  Heshokta  ("  Town  of 
the  Cliffs  "),  there  also  lived  two  beautiful  maidens, 
elder  and  younger,  sisters  one  to  the  other,  daugh 
ters  of  a  master-chief. 

One  bright  morning  in  summer-time,  the  elder 
sister  called  to  the  younger,  "  Hani!  " 

"  What  sayest  thou  ?  "  said  the  kdnt. 

"  The  day  is  bright  and  the  water  is  warm.  Let 
us  go  down  to  the  pool  and  wash  our  clothes,  that 
we  may  wear  them  as  if  new  at  the  dance  to  come." 

"Ah,  yes,  sister  elder,"  said  the  hdni ;  "but 
these  are  days  when  they  say  the  shadows  of  the 
rocks  and  even  the  sage-bushes  lodge  unthinkable 
things,  and  cause  those  who  walk  alone  to  breathe 
hard  with  fear." 

"  Shtchu  !  "  exclaimed  the  elder  sister  derisively. 
"  Younger  sisters  always  are  as  timid  as  younger 
brothers  are  bad-tempered." 

"  Ah,  well,  then  ;  as  you  will,  sister  elder.  I  will 
not  quarrel  with  your  wish,  but  I  fear  to  go." 

"  Yaush !  Come  along,  then,"  said  the  elder 
sister ;  whereupon  they  gathered  their  cotton  man 
tles  and  other  garments  into  bundles,  and,  taking 
along  a  bag  of  yucca-root,  or  soap-weed,  started 
together  down  the  steep,  crooked  path  to  where 
the  pool  lay  at  the  foot  of  the  great  mesa. 

Now,  far  above  the  Town  of  the  Cliffs,  among 

365 


366  Zufii  Folk  Tales 

the  rocks  of  red-gray  and  yellow — red  in  the  form 
of  a  bowlder-like  mountain  that  looks  like  a  frozen 
sand-bank — there  is  a  deep  cave.  You  have  never 
/  seen  it  ?  Well !  to  this  day  it  is  called  the  "  Cave 
f!  of  Atahsaia,"  and  there,  in  the  times  I  tell  of,  lived 
Atahsaia  himself.  Uhh  !  what  an  ugly  demon  he 
was  !  His  body  was  as  big  as  the  biggest  elk's,  and 
his  breast  was  shaggy  with  hair  as  stiff  as  porcu 
pine-quills.  His  legs  and  arms  were  long  and 
brawny, — all  covered  with  speckled  scales  of  black 
and  white.  His  hair  was  coarse  and  snarly  as  a 
buffalo's  mane,  and  his  eyes  were  so  big  and  glar 
ing  that  they  popped  out  of  his  head  like  skinned 
onions.  His  mouth  stretched  from  one  cheek  to 
,/v  the  other  and  was  filled  with  crooked  fangs  as  yel 
low  as  thrown-away  deer-bones.  His  lips  were  as 
red  and  puffy  as  peppers,  and  his  face  as  wrinkled 
and  rough  as  a  piece  of  burnt  buckskin.  That 
was  Atahsaia,  who  in  the  days  of  the  ancients  de 
voured  men  and  women  for  his  meat,  and  the  chil 
dren  of  men  for  his  sweet-bread.  His  weapons 
were  terrible,  too.  His  finger-nails  were  as  long  as 
the  claws  of  a  bear,  and  in  his  left  hand  he  carried 
a  bow  made  of  the  sapling  of  a  mountain-oak,  with 
two  arrows  ready  drawn  for  use.  And  he  was 
never  seen  without  his  great  flint  knife,  as  broad  as 
a  man's  thigh  and  twice  as  long,  which  he  bran 
dished  with  his  right  hand  and  poked  his  hair  back 
with,  so  that  his  grizzly  fore-locks  were  covered  with 
the  blood  of  those  he  had  slaughtered.  He  wore 
over  his  shoulders  whole  skins  of  the  mountain 
lion  and  bear  clasped  with  buttons  of  wood. 


Atahsaia  the  Cannibal  Demon        367 

Now,  although  Atahsaia  was  ugly  and  could  not 
speak  without  chattering  his  teeth,  or  laugh  with 
out  barking  like  a  wolf,  he  was  a  very  polite 
demon.  But,  like  many  ugly  and  polite  people 
nowadays,  he  was  a  great  liar. 

Atahsaia  that  morning  woke  up  and  stuck  his 
head  out  of  his  hole  just  as  the  two  maidens  went 
down  to  the  spring.  He  caught  sight  of  them 
while  his  eyes  travelled  below,  and  he  chuckled. 
Then  he  muttered,  as  he  gazed  at  them  and  saw 
how  young  and  fine  they  were  :  "  Ahhali!  Yaa- 
tchi  !  "  ("  Good  lunch  !  Two  for  a  munch  ! ")  and 
howled  his  war-cry,  "  Ho-o-o-thlai—a  /"  till  Tesha- 
minkia,  the  Echo-god,  shouted  it  to  the  maidens. 

"  Oh  ! "  exclaimed  the  hdni,  clutching  the  arm  of 
her  elder  sister ;  "  listen  !  " 

"  Ho-o-o-thlai-a!  "  again  roared  the  demon,  and 
again  Teshaminkia. 

"  Oh,  oh!  sister  elder,  what  did  I  tell  you! 
Why  did  we  come  out  today  !  "  and  both  ran  away ; 
then  stopped  to  listen.  When  they  heard  noth 
ing  more,  they  returned  to  the  spring  and  went  to 
washing  their  clothes  on  some  flat  stones. 

But  Atahsaia  grabbed  up  his  weapons  and  be 
gan  to  clamber  down  the  mountain,  muttering  and 
chuckling  to  himself  as  he  went :  "  Ahhali!  Yaa- 
tchi!  "  ("  Good  lunch  !  Two  for  a  munch  !  "). 

Around  the  corner  of  Great  Mesa,  on  the  high 
shelves  of  which  stands  the  Town  of  the  Cliffs,  are 
two  towering  buttes  called  Kwilli-yallon  (Twin 
Mountain).  Far  up  on  the  top  of  this  mountain 
there  dwelt  Ahaiyiita  and  Matsailema. 


368  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

You  don't  know  who  Ahaiyuta  and  Mdtsailema 
were  ?  Well,  I  will  tell  you.  They  were  the  twin 
children  of  the  Sun-father  and  the  Mother  Waters 
of  the  World.  Before  men  were  born  to  the  light, 
the  Sun  made  love  to  the  Waters  of  the  World, 
and  under  his  warm,  bright  glances,  there  were 
hatched  out  of  a  foam-cup  on  the  face  of  the  Great 
Ocean,  which  then  covered  the  earth,  two  wonder 
ful  boys,  whom  men  afterward  named  Ua  nam  Atch 
Piahk'oa  ("  The  Beloved  Two  who  Fell  ").  The 
Sun  dried  away  the  waters  from  the  high-lands  of 
earth  and  these  Two  then  delivered  men  forth 
from  the  bowels  of  our  Earth-mother,  and  guided 
them  eastward  toward  the  home  of  their  father,  the 
Sun.  The  time  came,  alas  !  when  war  and  many 
strange  beings  arose  to  destroy  the  children  of 
earth,  and  then  the  eight  Stern  Beings  changed  the 
hearts  of  the  twins  to  sawanikia,  or  the  medicine  of 
war.  Thenceforth  they  were  known  as  Ahaiyuta 
and  Matsailema  ("  Our  Beloved,"  the  "Terrible 
Two,"  "  Boy-gods  of  War  "). 

Even  though  changed,  they  still  guarded  our 
ancients  and  guided  them  to  the  Middle  of  the 
World,  where  we  now  live.  Gifted  with  hearts  of 
the  medicine  of  war,  and  with  wisdom  almost  as 
great  as  the  Sun-father's  own,  they  became  the  in 
vincible  guardians  of  the  Corn-people  of  Earth, 
and,  with  the  rainbow  for  their  weapon  and  thun 
derbolts  for  their  arrows, — swift  lightning-shafts 
pointed  with  turquoise, — were  the  greatest  warriors 
of  all  in  the  days  of  the  new.  When  at  last  they 
had  conquered  most  of  the  enemies  of  men,  they 


Atahsaia  the  Cannibal  Demon        369 

taught  to  a  chosen  few  of  their  followers  the  songs, 
prayers,  and  orders  of  a  society  of  warriors  who 
should  be  called  their  children,  the  Priests *  of  the 
Bow,  and  selecting  from  among  them  the  two 
wisest,  breathed  into  their  nostrils  (as  they  have 
since  breathed  into  those  of  their  successors)  the 
sawanikia.  Since  then  we  make  anew  the  sem 
blance  of  their  being  and  place  them  each  year  at 
midsun  on  the  top  of  the  Mountain  of  Thunder,  ( 
and  on  the  top  of  the  Mountain  of  the  Beloved, 
that  they  may  know  we  remember  them  and  that 
they  may  guard  (as  it  was  said  in  the  days  of  the 
ancients  they  would  guard)  the  Land  of  Zuni  from 
sunrise  to  sunset  and  cut  off  the  pathways  of  the 
enemy. 

Well,  Ahaiyuta,  who  is  called  the  elder  brother, 
and  Matsailema,  who  is  called  the  younger,  were 
living  on  the  top  of  Twin  Mountain  with  their  old 
grandmother. 

Said  the  elder  to  the  younger  on  this  same  morn 
ing  :  "  Brother,  let  us  go  out  and  hunt.  It  is  a  fine 
day.  What  say  you  ?  " 

"  My  face  is  in  front  of  me,"  said  the  younger, 
"  and  under  a  roof  is  no  place  for  men,"  he  added, 
as  he  put  on  his  helmet  of  elk-hide  and  took  a 
quiver  of  mountain-lion  skin  from  an  antler  near 
the  ladder. 

"  Where  are  you  two  boys  going  now  ?  "  shrieked 
the  grandmother  through  a  trap-door  from  below. 
"  Don't  you  ever  intend  to  stop  worrying  me  by 

1  Here  and  hereafter  I  use  this  term  priest  reluctantly,  in  lack  of  a  better 
word,  but  in  accordance  with  Webster's  second  definition. — F.  H.  C. 
24 


370  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

going  abroad  when  even  the  spaces  breed  fear  like 
thick  war  ?  " 

"  O  grandmother,"  they  laughed,  as  they  tight 
ened  their  bows^and  straightened  their  arrows 
before  the  fire,  u  never  mind  us  ;  we  are  only  going 
out  for  a  hunt,"  and  before  the  old  woman  could 
climb  up  to  stop  them  they  were  gaily  skipping 
down  the  rocks  toward  the  cliffs  below. 

Suddenly  the  younger  brother  stopped.  "  Ahh  ! " 
said  he,  "  listen,  brother  !  It  is  the  cry  of  Atahsaia, 
and  the  old  wretch  is  surely  abroad  to  cause  tears  ! " 

"Yes,"  replied  the  elder.  "  It  is  Atahsaia,  and 
we  must  stop  him  !  Come  on,  come  on  ;  quick  ! " 

"  Hold,  brother,  hold  !  Stiffen  your  feet  right 
here  with  patience.  He  is  after  the  two  maidens 
of  Heshokta  !  I  saw  them  going  to  the  spring  as 
I  came  down.  This  day  he  must  die.  Is  your 
face  to  the  front  ?  " 

"  It  is  ;  come  on,"  said  the  elder  brother,  starting 
forward. 

"  Stiffen  your  feet  with  patience,  I  say,"  again 
exclaimed  the  younger  brother.  "  Know  you  that 
the  old  demon  comes  up  the  pathway  below  here  ? 
He  will  not  hurt  them  until  he  gets  them  home. 
You  know  he  is  a  great  liar,  and  a  great  flatterer ; 
that  is  the  way  the  old  beast  catches  people. 
Now,  if  we  wait  here  we  will  surely  see  them  when 
they  come  up." 

So,  after  quarrelling  a  little,  the  elder  brother 
consented  to  sit  down  on  a  rock  which  overlooked 
the  pathway  and  was  within  bow-shot  of  the  old 
demon's  cave. 


Atahsaia,  the  Cannibal  Demon        371 

Now,  while  the  girls  were  washing,  Atahsaia  ran 
as  fast  as  his  old  joints  would  let  him  until  the  two 
girls  heard  his  mutterings  and  rattling  weapons. 

"  Something  is  coming,  sister ! "  cried  the  younger, 
and  both  ran  toward  the  rocks  to  hide  again,  but 
they  were  too  late.  The  old  demon  strode  around 
by  another  way  and  suddenly,  at  a  turn,  came  face 
to  face  with  them,  glaring  with  his  bloodshot  eyes 
and  waving  his  great  jagged  flint  knife.  But  as 
he  neared  them  he  lowered  the  knife  and  smiled, 
straightening  himself  up  and  approaching  the 
frightened  ones  as  gently  as  would  a  young  man. 

The  poor  younger  sister  clung  to  the  elder  one, 
and  sank  moaning  by  her  side,  for  the  smile  of 
Atahsaia  was  as  fearful  as  the  scowl  of  a  triumphant 
enemy,  or  the  laugh  of  a  rattlesnake  when  he  hears 
any  old  man  tell  a  lie  and  thinks  he  will  poison  him 
for  it. 

"  Why  do  you  run,  and  why  do  you  weep  so  ?  " 
asked  the  old  demon.  "  I  know  you.  I  am  ugly 
and  old,  my  pretty  maidens,  but  I  am  your  grand 
father  and  mean  you  no  harm  at  all.  I  frightened 
you  only  because  I  felt  certain  you  would  run 
away  from  me  if  you  could." 

"  Ah  ! "  faltered  the  elder  sister,  immediately 
getting  over  her  fright.  "  We  did  not  know  you 
and  therefore  we  were  frightened  by  you.  Come, 
sister,  come,"  said  she  to  the  younger.  "  Brighten 
your  eyes  and  thoughts,  for  our  grandfather  will 
not  hurt  us.  Don't  you  see  ?  " 

But  the  younger  sister  only  shook  her  head  and 
sobbed.  Then  the  demon  got  angry.  "  What 


372  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

are  you  blubbering  about  ?  "  he  roared,  raising  his 
knife  and  sweeping  it  wildly  through  the  air.  "  Do 
you  see  this  knife  ?  This  day  I  will  cut  off  the 
light  of  your  life  with  it  if  you  do  not  swallow 
your  whimpers  ! " 

"  Get  up,  oh,  do  get  up,  hdni!  "  whispered  the 
elder  sister,  now  again  frightened  herself.  "  Surely 
he  will  not  cut  us  off  just  now,  if  we  obey  him  ; 
and  is  it  not  well  that  even  for  a  little  time  the 
light  of  life  shine — though  it  shine  through  fear 
and  sadness — than  be  cut  off  altogether  ?  For 
who  knows  where  the  trails  tend  that  lead  through 
the  darkness  of  the  night  of  death  ?  " 

You  know,  in  the  speech  of  the  rulers  of  the 
world  and  of  our  ancients, 1  a  man's  light  was 
cut  off  when  his  life  was  taken,  and  when  he  died 
he  came  to  the  dividing-place  of  life. 

The  hdni  tried  to  rally  herself  and  rose  to  her 
feet,  but  she  still  trembled. 

"  Now,  my  pretty  maidens,  my  own  grand 
daughters,  even,"  said  the  old  demon  once  more, 
as  gently  as  at  first,  "  I  am  most  glad  I  found  you. 
How  good  are  the  gods  !  for  I  am  a  poor,  lone  old 
man.  All  my  people  are  gone."  (Here  he  sighed 
like  the  hiss  of  a  wild-cat.)  "  Yonder  above  is 
my  home"  (pointing  over  his  shoulder),  "and  as 
I  am  a  great  hunter,  plenty  of  venison  is  baking 
in  my  rear  room  and  more  sweet-bread  than  I  can 
eat.  Lo !  it  makes  me  homesick  to  eat  alone,  and 
when  I  saw  you  and  saw  how  pretty  and  gentle 
you  were,  I  thought  that  it  might  be  you  would 

1  One  of  the  figures  of  speech  meaning  the  gods. 


Atahsaia,  the  Cannibal  Demon        373 

throw  the  light  of  your  favor  on  me,  and  go  up 
to  my  house  to  share  of  my  abundance  and  drink 
from  my  vessels.  Besides,  I  am  so  old  that  only 
now  and  then  can  I  get  a  full  jar  of  water  up  to 
my  house.  So  I  came  as  fast  as  I  could  to  ask 
you  to  return  and  eat  with  me." 

Reassured  by  his  kind  speech,  the  elder  sister 
hastened  to  say  :  "  Of  course,  we  will  go  with  our 
grandfather,  and  if  that  is  all  he  may  want  of  us, 
we  can  soon  fill  his  water-jars,  can't  we,  hdni?" 

"  You  are  a  good  girl,"  said  the  old  demon  to 
the  one  who  had  spoken ;  then,  glaring  at  the 
younger  sister:  "Bring  that  fool  along  with  you 
and  come  up  ;  she  will  not  come  by  herself ;  she 
has  more  bashfulness  than  sense,  and  less  sense 
than  my  knife,  because  that  makes  the  world  more 
wise  by  killing  off  fools." 

He  led  the  way  and  the  elder  sister  followed, 
dragging  along  the  shrinking  hdni. 

The  old  demon  kept  talking  in  a  loud  voice  as 
they  went  up  the  pathway,  telling  all  sorts  of 
entertaining  stories,  until,  as  they  neared  the  rocks 
where  Ahaiyiita  and  Matsailema  were  waiting,  the 
Two  heard  him  and  said  to  one  another :  "  Ahh, 
they  come ! " 

Then  the  elder  brother  jumped  up  and  began 
to  tighten  his  bow,  but  the  younger  brother 
muttered :  "  Sit  down,  won't  you,  you  fool ! 
Atahsaia's  ears  are  like  bat-ears,  only  bigger. 
Wait  now,  till  I  say  ready.  You  know  he  will  not 
hurt  the  girls  until  he  gets  them  out  from  his 
house.  Look  over  there  in  front  of  his  hole.  Do 


374  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

you  see  the  flat  place  that  leads  along  to  that  deep 
chasm  beyond  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  replied  the  elder  brother.  "  But  what  of 
that  ? " 

"  What  but  that  there  he  cuts  the  throats  of  his 
captives  and  casts  their  bones  and  heads  into  the 
depths  of  the  chasm!  Do  you  see  the  notch  in 
the  stone  ?  That's  where  he  lets  their  blood  flow 
down,  and  for  that  reason  no  one  ever  discovers 
his  tracks.  Now,  stiffen  your  feet  with  patience,  I 
say,  and  we  will  see  what  to  do  when  the  time 
comes." 

Again  they  sat  and  waited.  As  the  old  demon 
and  the  girls  passed  along  below,  the  elder  brother 
again  started  and  would  have  shot  had  not  Mat- 
sailema  held  him  back.  "  You  fool  of  a  brother 
elder,  but  not  wiser,  No !  Do  you  not  know  that 
your  arrow  is  lightning  and  will  kill  the  maidens  as 
well  as  the  monster  ?  " 

Finally,  the  demon  reached  the  entrance  to  his 
cave,  and,  going  in,  asked  the  girls  to  follow  him, 
laying  out  two  slabs  for  them  to  sit  on.  "  Now, 
sit  down,  my  pretty  girls,  and  I  will  soon  get 
something  for  you  to  eat.  You  must  be  hungry." 
Going  to  the  rear  of  the  cave,  he  broke  open  a 
stone  oven,  and  the  steam  which  arose  was  cer 
tainly  delicious  and  meaty.  Soon  he  brought  out 
two  great  bowls,  big  enough  to  feed  a  whole  dance. 
One  contained  meat,  the  other  a  mess  resembling 
sweet-bread  pudding.  "  Now,  let  us  eat,"  said  the 
demon,  seating  himself  opposite,  and  at  once  div 
ing  his  horny  fingers  and  scaly  hand  half  up  to  the 


Atahsaia,  the  Cannibal  Demon        375 

wrist  in  the  meat-broth.     The  elder  sister  began  to 
take  bits  of  the  food  to  eat  it,  when  the  younger 
made  a  motion  to  her,  and  showed  her  with  horror 
the  bones  of  a  little  hand.     The  sweet-bread  was 
the  flesh  and  bones  of  little  children.     Then  the 
two  girls  only  pretended  to  eat,  taking  the  food 
out  and  throwing  it  down  by  the  side  of  the  bowls. 
"Why  don't  you  eat?"    demanded  the  demon, 
cramming   at  the  same  time  a  huge  mouthful  of 
the  meat,  bones  and  all,  into  his  wide  throat. 
"  We  are  eating,"  said  one  of  the  girls. 
11  Then  why  do  you  throw  my  food  away  ?" 
"  We  are  throwing  away  only  the  bones." 
"  Well,  the  bones  are  the  better  part,"  retorted 
the  demon,  taking  another  huge  mouthful,  by  way 
of   example,  big  enough  to  make  a  grown  man's 
meal.     "  Oh,  yes  ! "  he  added  ;  "  I  forgot  that  you 
had  baby  teeth." 

After  the  meal  was  finished,  the  old  demon 
said  :  "  Let  us  go  out  and  sit  down  in  the  sun 
on  my  terrace.  Perhaps,  my  pretty  maidens,  you 
will  comb  an  old  man's  hair,  for  I  have  no  one 
left  to  help  me  now,"  he  sighed,  pretending  to  be 
very  sad.  So,  showing  the  girls  where  to  sit  down, 
without  waiting  for  their  assent  he  settled  himself 
in  front  of  them  and  leaned  his  head  back  to  have 
it  combed.  The  two  maidens  dared  not  disobey  ; 
and  now  and  then  they  pulled  at  a  long,  coarse 
hair,  and  then  snapped  their  fingers  close  to  his 
scalp,  which  so  deceived  the  old  demon  that  he 
grunted  with  satisfaction  every  time.  At  last 
their  knees  were  so  tired  by  his  weight  upon  them 


376  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

that  they  said  they  were  done,  and  Atahsaia, 
rising,  pretended  to  be  greatly  pleased,  and 
thanked  them  over  and  over.  Then  he  told  them 
to  sit  down  in  front  of  him,  and  he  would  comb 
their  hair  as  they  had  combed  his,  but  not  to 
mind  if  he  hurt  a  little  for  his  fingers  were  old  and 
stiff.  The  two  girls  again  dared  not  disobey, 
and  sat  down  as  he  had  directed.  Uhh  !  how  the 
old  beast  grinned  and  glared  and  breathed  softly 
between  his  teeth. 

The  two  brothers  had  carefully  watched  every 
thing,  the  elder  one  starting  up  now  and  then,  the 
younger  remaining  quiet.  Suddenly  Matsailema 
sprang  up.  He  caught  the  shield  the  Sun-father 
had  given  him, — the  shield  which,  though  made 
only  of  nets  and  knotted  cords,  would  ward  off 
alike  the  weapons  of  the  warrior  or  the  magic  of 
the  wizard.  Holding  it  aloft,  he  cried  to  Ahai- 
yiita  :  "  Stand  ready  ;  the  time  is  come  !  If  I  miss 
him,  pierce  him  with  your  arrow.  Now,  then — " 

He  hurled  the  shield  through  the  air.  Swiftly 
as  a  hawk  and  noiselessly  as  an  owl,  it  sailed 
straight  over  the  heads  of  the  maidens  and  settled 
between  them  and  the  demon's  face.  The  shield 
was  invisible,  and  the  old  demon  knew  not  it 
was  there.  He  leaned  over  as  if  to  examine  the 
maidens'  heads.  He  opened  his  great  mouth,  and, 
bending  yet  nearer,  made  a  vicious  bite  at  the 
elder  one. 

"  Ai,  ai !  my  poor  little  sister,  alas  !"  with  which 
both  fell  to  sobbing  and  moaning,  and  crouched, 
expecting  instantly  to  be  destroyed. 


Atahsaia,  the  Cannibal  Demon        377 

But  the  demon's  teeth  caught  in  the  meshes  of 
the  invisible  shield,  and,  howling  with  vexation, 
he  began  struggling  to  free  himself  of  the  encum 
brance.  Ahaiyiita  drew  a  shaft  to  the  point  and 
let  fly.  With  a  thundering  noise  that  rent  the 
rocks,  and  a  rush  of  strong  wind,  the  shaft  blazed 
through  the  air  and  buried  itself  in  the  demon's 
shoulders,  piercing  him  through  ere  the  thunder 
had  half  done  pealing.  Swift  as  mountain  sheep 
were  the  leaps  and  light  steps  of  the  brothers, 
who,  bounding  to  the  shelf  of  rock,  drew  their 
war-clubs  and  soon  softened  the  hard  skull  of  the 
old  demon  with  them.  The  younger  sister  was 
unharmed  save  by  fright ;  but  the  elder  sister  lay 
where  she  had  sat,  insensible. 

"  Hold  !"  cried  Matsailema,  "she  was  to  blame, 
but  then — "  Lifting  the  swooning  maiden  in 
his  strong  little  arms,  he  laid  her  apart  from  the 
others,  and,  breathing  into  her  nostrils,  soon  revived 
her  eyes  to  wisdom. 

"  This  day  have  we,  through  the  power  of  sawan- 
ikia,  seen1  for  our  father  an  enemy  of  our  children 
men.  A  beast  that  caused  unto  fatherless  children, 
unto  menless  women,  unto  womenless  men  (who 
thus  became  through  his  evil  will),  tears  and  sad 
thoughts,  has  this  day  been  looked  upon  by  the  Sun 
and  laid  low.  May  the  favors  of  the  gods  thus 
meet  us  ever." 

Thus  said  the  two  brothers,  as  they  stood  over  the 
gasping,  still  struggling  but  dying  demon  ;  and  as 
they  closed  their  little  prayer,  the  maidens,  who 

1  To  "see  "  an  enemy  signifies,  in  Zuni  mythology,  to  take  his  life. 


378  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

now  first  saw  whom  they  had  to  thank  for  their 
deliverance,  were  overwhelmed  with  gladness,  yet 
shame.  They  exclaimed,  in  response  to  the  prayer : 
"May  they,  indeed,  thus  meet  you  and  ourselves /" 
Then  they  breathed  upon  their  hands. 

The  two  brothers  now  turned  toward  the  girls. 
"  Look  ye  upon  the  last  enemy  of  men,"  said  they, 
"  whom  this  day  we  have  had  the  power  of  sawan- 
ikia  given  us  to  destroy ;  whom  this  day  the  father 
of  all,  our  father  the  Sun,  has  looked  upon,  whose 
light  of  life  this  day  our  weapons  have  cut  off  ; 
whose  path  of  life  this  day  our  father  has  divided. 
Not  ourselves,  but  our  father  has  done  this  deed, 
through  us.  Haste  to  your  home  in  Heshokta  and 
tell  your  father  these  things  ;  and  tell  him,  pray, 
that  he  must  assemble  his  priests  and  teach  them 
these  our  words,  for  we  divide  our  paths  of  life 
henceforth  from  one  another  and  from  the  paths  of 
men,  no  more  to  mingle  save  in  spirit  with  the 
children  of  men.  But  we  shall  depart  for  our 
everlasting  home  in  the  mountains — the  one  to  the 
Mountain  of  Thunder,  the  other  to  the  Mount  of 
the  Beloved — to  guard  from  sunrise  to  sunset  the 
land  of  the  Corn-priests  of  Earth,  that  the  foolish 
among  men  break  not  into  the  Middle  Country  of 
Earth  and  lay  it  waste.  Yet  we  shall  require  of 
our  children  the  plumes  wherewith  we  dress  our 
thoughts,  and  the  forms  of  our  being  wherewith  men 
may  renew  us  each  year  at  midsun.  Henceforth 
two  stars  at  morning  and  evening  will  be  seen,  the 
one  going  before,  the  other  following,  the  Sun- 
father — the  one  Ahaiyiita,  his  herald  ;  the  other 


Atahsaia,  the  Cannibal  Demon        379 

Matsailema,  his  guardian  ;  warriors  both,  and  fath 
ers  of  men.  May  the  trail  of  life  be  finished  ere 
divided  !  Go  ye  happily  hence." 

The  maidens  breathed  from  the  hands  of  the 
Twain,  and  with  bowed  heads  and  a  prayer  of  thanks 
started  down  the  pathway  toward  the  Town  of  the 
Cliffs.  When  they  came  to  their  home,  the  old 
father  asked  whence  they  came.  They  told  the 
story  of  their  adventure  and  repeated  the  words  of 
the  Beloved. 

The  old  man  bowed  his  head,  and  said  :  "  It  was 
Ahaiyiita  and  Matsailema  ! "  Then  he  made  a 
prayer  of  thanks,  and  cast  abroad  on  the  winds 
white  meal  of  the  seeds  of  earth  and  shells  from  the 
Great  Waters  of  the  World,  the  pollen  of  beautiful 
flowers,  and  the  paints  of  war. 

"  It  is  well  !  "  he  said.  "  Four  days  hence  I 
will  assemble  my  warriors,  and  we  will  cut  the 
plume-sticks,  paint  and  feather  them,  and  place 
them  on  high  mountains,  that  through  their  knowl 
edge  and  power  of  medicine  our  Beloved  Two 
Warriors  may  take  them  unto  themselves." 

Now,  when  the  maidens  disappeared  among  the 
rocks  below,  the  brothers  looked  each  at  the  other 
and  laughed.  Then  they  shouted,  and  Ahaiyiita 
kicked  Atahsaia's  ugly  carcass  till  it  gurgled,  at 
which  the  two  boys  shouted  again  most  hilariously 
and  laughed.  "  That 's  what  we  proposed  to  do  with 
you,  old  beast  ! "  they  cried  out. 

"  But,  brother  younger,"  said  Ahaiyiita,  "  what 
shall  be  done  with  him  now  ?  " 

"  Let 's  skin  him,"  said  Matsailema. 


380  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

So  they  set  to  work  and  skinned  the  body  from 
foot  to  head,  as  one  skins  a  fawn  when  one  wishes 
to  make  a  seed-bag.  Then  they  put  sticks  into 
the  legs  and  arms,  and  tied  strings  to  them,  and 
stuffed  the  body  with  dry  grass  and  moss  ;  and 
where  they  set  the  thing  up  against  the  cliff  it 
looked  verily  like  the  living  Atahsaia. 

"  Uhh  !  what  an  ugly  beast  he  was  !  "  said  Mat- 
sailema.  Then  he  shouted  :  "  Wahaha,  hihiho  !  " 
and  almost  doubled  up  with  laughter.  "  Won't 
we  have  fun  with  old  grandmother,  though.  Hurry 
up  ;  let 's  take  care  of  the  rest  of  him  !  " 

They  cut  off  the  head,  and  Ahaiyuta  said  to  it  : 
"  Thou  hast  been  a  liar,  and  told  a  falsehood  for  every 
life  thou  hast  taken  in  the  world ;  therefore  shalt 
thou  become  a  lying  star,  and  each  night  thy  guilt 
shall  be  seen  of  all  men  throughout  the  wide  world." 
He  twirled  the  bloody  head  around  once  or  twice, 
and  cast  it  with  all  might  into  the  air.  Wa  muu  / 
it  sped  through  the  spaces  into  the  middle  of  the 
sky  like  a  spirt  of  blood,  and  now  it  is  a  great  red 
star.  It  rises  in  summer-time  and  tells  of  the  com 
ing  morning  when  it  is  only  midnight ;  hence  it  is 
called  Mokwanosana  (Great  Lying  Star). 

Then  Matsailema  seized  the.  great  knife  and 
ripped  open  the  abdomen  with  one  stroke.  Grasp 
ing  the  intestines,  he  tore*  them  out  and  exclaimed  : 
"  Ye  have  devoured  and  digested  the  flesh  of  men 
over  the  whole  wide  world ;  therefore  ye  shall  be 
stretched  from  one  end  of  the  earth  to  the  other, 
and  the  children  of  those  ye  have  wasted  will  look 
upon  ye  every  night  and  will  say  to  one  another  : 


Atahsaia,  the  Cannibal  Demon        381 

'  Ah,  the  entrails  of  him  who  caused  sad  thoughts 
to  our  grandfathers  shine  well  tonight !  '  and  they 
will  laugh  and  sneer  at  ye"  Whereupon  he  slung 
the  whole  mass  aloft,  and  tsolo  !  it  stretched  from 
one  end  of  the  world  to  the  other,  and  became  the 
Great  Snow-drift  of  the  Skies  (Milky  Way).  Lift 
ing  the  rest  of  the  carcass,  they  threw  it  down 
into  the  chasm  whither  the  old  demon  had  thrown 
so  many  of  his  victims,  and  the  rattlesnakes  came 
out  and  ate  of  the  flesh  day  after  day  till  their 
fangs  grew  yellow  with  putrid  meat,  and  even  now 
their  children's  fangs  are  yellow  and  poisonous. 

"  Now,  then,  for  some  fun  !  "  shouted  Matsailema. 
"  Do  you  catch  the  old  bag  up  and  prance  around 
with  it  a  little  ;  and  I  will  run  off  to  see  how  it 
looks." 

Ahaiyiita  caught  up  the  effigy,  and,  hiding  him 
self  behind,  pulled  at  the  strings  till  it  looked,  of 
all  things  thinkable,  like  the  living  Atahsaia  him 
self  starting  out  for  a  hunt,  for  they  threw  the 
lion  skins  over  it  and  tied  the  bow  in  its  hand. 

"  Excellent  !  Excellent  !  "  exclaimed  the  boys, 
and  they  clapped  their  hands  and  wa-ha-ha-ed  and 
ho-ho-ho-ed  till  they  were  sore.  Then,  dragging 
the  skin  along,  they  ran  as  fast  as  they  could, 
down  to  the  plain  below  Twin  Mountain. 

The  Sun  was  climbing  down  the  western  ladder, 
and  their  old  grandmother  had  been  looking  all 
over  the  mountains  and  valleys  below  to  see  if  the 
two  boys  were  coming.  She  had  just  climbed  the 
ladder  and  was  gazing  and  fretting  and  saying: 


382  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

"  Oh  !  those  two  boys  !  terrible  pests  and  as  hard 
hearted  and  as  long-winded  in  having  their  own 
way  as  a  turtle  is  in  having  his !  Now,  some 
thing  has  happened  to  them  ;  I  knew  it  would," 
when  suddenly  a  frightened  scream  came  up  from 
below. 

"  Ho-o-o-ta !  Ho-o-o-ta!  Come  quick!  Help! 
Help  ! "  the  voice  cried,  as  if  in  anguish. 

"Uhh !  "  exclaimed  the  old  woman,  and  she 
went  so  fast  in  her  excitement  that  she  tumbled 
through  the  trap-door,  and  then  jumped  up,  scold 
ing  and  groaning. 

She  grabbed  a  poker  of  pinon,  and  rushed  out  of 
the  house.  Sure  enough,  there  was  poor  Matsai 
lema  running  hard  and  calling  again  and  again 
for  her  to  hurry  down.  The  old  woman  hobbled 
along  over  the  rough  path  as  fast  as  she  could, 
and  until  her  wind  was  blowing  shorter  and 
shorter,  when,  suddenly  turning  around  the  crags, 
she  caught  sight  of  Ahaiyiita  struggling  to  get 
away  from  Atahsaia. 

"O  ai  of  I  knew  it!.  I  knew  it!"  cried  the 
old  woman  ;  and  she  ran  faster  than  ever  until 
she  came  near  enough  to  see  that  her  poor  grand 
son  was  almost  tired  out,  and  that  Matsailema  had 
lost  even  his  war-club.  "  Stiffen  your  feet, — my 
boys, — wait — a  bit,"  puffed  the  old  woman,  and, 
flying  into  a  passion,  she  rushed  at  the  effigy 
and  began  to  pound  it  with  her  poker,  till  the 
dust  fairly  smoked  out  of  the  dry  grass,  and  the 
skin  doubled  up  as  if  it  were  in  pain. 

Matsailema  rolled  and  kicked  in  the  grass,  and 


Atahsaia,  the  Cannibal  Demon        383 

Ahaiyiita  soon  had  to  let  the  stuffed  demon  fall 
down  for  sheer  laughing.  But  the  old  woman 
never  ceased.  She  belabored  the  demon  and 
cursed  his  cannibal  heart  and  told  him  that  was 
what  he  got  for  chasing  her  grandsons,  and  that, 
and  this,  and  that,  whack !  whack !  without  stop 
ping,  until  she  thought  the  monster  surely  must 
be  dead.  Then  she  was  about  to  rest  when  sud 
denly  the  boys  pulled  the  strings,  and  the  demon 
sprang  up  before  her,  seemingly  as  well  as  ever. 
Again  the  old  woman  fell  to,  but  her  strokes 
kept  getting  feebler  and  feebler,  her  breath  shorter 
and  shorter,  until  her  wind  went  out  and  she  fell 
to  the  ground. 

How  the  boys  did  laugh  and  roll  on  the  ground 
when  the  old  grandmother  moaned  :  "  Alas  !  alas  ! 
This  day — my  day — light  is — cut  off — and  my 
wind  of  life— fast  going." 

The  old  woman  covered  her  head  with  her  tat 
tered  mantle  ;  but  when  she  found  that  Atahsaia 
did  not  move,  she  raised  her  eyes  and  looked 
through  a  rent.  There  were  her  two  grandsons 
rolling  and  kicking  on  the  grass  and  holding  their 
mouths  with  both  hands,  their  eyes  swollen  and 
faces  red  with  laughter.  Then  she  suddenly 
looked  for  the  demon.  There  lay  the  skin,  all 
torn  and  battered  out  of  shape. 

"So  ho  !  you  pesky  wretches  ;  that 's  the  way 
you  treat  me,  is  it  ?  Well !  never  again  will  I 
help  you,  never ! "  she  snapped,  "  nor  shall  you 
ever  live  with  me  more  ! "  Whereupon  the  old 
woman  jumped  up  and  hobbled  away. 


384 


Zufii  Folk  Tales 


But  little  did  the  brothers  care.  They  laughed 
till  she  was  far  away,  and  then  said  one  to  the 
other:  "  It  is  done!" 

Since  that  time,  the  grandmother  has  gone,  no  one 
knows  where.  But  Ahaiyiita  and  Matsailema  are 
the  bright  stars  of  the  morning  and  evening,  just 
in  front  of  and  behind  the  Sun-father  himself. 
Yet  their  spirits  hover  over  their  shrines  on  Thun 
der  Mountain  and  the  Mount  of  the  Beloved, 
they  say,  or  linger  over  the  Middle  of  the  World, 
forever  to  guide  the  games  and  to  guard  the  warriors 
of  the  Land  of  Zuni.  Thus  it  was  in  the  days  of 
the  ancients. 

Thus  shortens  my  story. 


THE   HERMIT  MITSINA 

WHEN  all  was  new,  and  the  gods  dwelt  in  the 
ancient  places,  long,  long  before  the  time 
of  our  ancients,  many  were  the  gods — some  des 
tined  for  good  and  some  for  evil  or  for  the  doing 
of  things  beneath  understanding.  And  those  of 
evil  intent,  so  painfully  bad  were  they  to  become 
that  not  in  the  company  and  council  of  the  pre 
cious  beloved  of  the  Kdkd  (the  Order  of  the  Sacred 
Drama)  could  they  be  retained. 

Thus  it  happened,  in  the  times  of  our  ancients, 
long,  long  ago,  that  there  dwelt  all  alone  in  the 
Canon  of  the  Pines,  southeast  of  Zuni,  Mitsina  the 
Hermit.  Of  evil  understanding  he  ;  therefore  it  had 
been  said  to  him  (by  the  gods)  :  "  Alone  shalt  thou 
dwell,  being  unwise  and  evil  in  thy  ways,  until  thou 
hast,  through  much  happening,  even  become  worthy 
to  dwell  amongst  us."  Thus  it  was  that  Mitsina 
lived  alone  in  his  house  in  the  Canon  of  the  Pines. 

Sometimes  when  a  young  man,  dressed  in  very 
fine  apparel  (wearing  his  collars  of  shell,  and 
turquoise  earrings,  and  other  precious  things  which 
were  plentiful  in  the  days  of  our  ancients),  would 
be  out  hunting,  and  chanced  to  go  through  the 
Canon  of  the  Pines  and  near  to  the  house  of 
Mitsina,  he  would  hear  the  sounds  of  gaming  from 
within  ;  for,  being  alone,  the  hermit  whiled  away 
his  time  in  playing  at  the  game  of  sacred  arrows 
(or  cane-cards). 

385 


386  Zufii  Folk  Tales 

Forever  from  the  ceiling  of  his  house  there 
hung  suspended  his  basket-drum,  made  of  a  large 
wicker  bowl,  over  the  mouth  of  which  was  stretched 
tightly  a  soft  buckskin,  even  like  the  basket-drums 
which  we  use  in  the  playing  of  cane-cards  today, 
and  which  you  know  are  suspended  with  the  skin- 
side  downward  from  the  ceilings  of  the  gaming 
rooms  in  the  topmost  houses  of  our  town.  Though 
the  one  he  had  was  no  better  than  those  we  have 
today,  save  that  it  was  larger  and  handsomer  per 
haps,  yet  he  delighted  to  call  it  his  cloud  canopy, 
bethinking  himself  of  the  drum-basket  of  his 
former  associates,  the  gods,  which  is  even  the 
rounded  sky  itself,  with  the  clouds  stretched  across 
it.  Forever  upon  the  floor  of  his  house  there  lay 
spread  a  great  buffalo  robe,  the  skin  upward 
dressed  soft  and  smooth,  as  white  as  corn-flour, 
and  painted  with  the  many-colored  symbols  and 
counting  marks  of  the  game,  even  as  our  own. 
But  he  delighted  to  call  it  his  sacred  terraced 
plain,1  bethinking  himself  of  the  robe-spread  of 
the  gods,  which  is  even  the  outspread  earth  itself, 
bordered  by  terraced  horizons,  and  diversified  by 
mountains,  valleys,  and  bright  places,  which  are 

1  The  words  "terrace,"  "sacred  terrace,"  "terraced  plain"  (awilhlu- 
iane,  awithluian-pewine),  and  the  like,  wherever  they  occur,  refer  to  the 
figurative  expression  for  the  earth  in  the  Zuni  rituals  addressed  to  the  gods, 
where  they  are  used  as  more  nearly  conforming  to  the  usage  of  the  gods. 
The  symbol  of  the  earth  on  the  sacred  altars  is  a  terraced  or  zigzag  figure 
or  decoration,  and  the  same  figure  appears  in  their  carvings  and  other 
ornamental  work.  The  disgraced  god  Mitsina  applied  the  term  to  the 
robe  spread  out  as  the  bed  for  his  game.  It  may  be  stated  in  further 
explanation  that  the  country  in  which  the  Zufiis  have  wandered  and 
lived  for  unnumbered  generations,  and  where  they  still  dwell,  is  made 


The  Hermit  Mitsina  387 

the  symbols  and  game  marks  whereby  the  gods 
themselves  count  up  the  score  of  their  game. 

Hearing  these  sounds  of  the  game  in  passing, 
the  young  man  would  naturally  draw  near  and 
listen.  Though  all  alone,  every  time  he  made  a 
good  throw  Mitsina  would  exclaim  "  Her-r-r-r  / " 
and  as  the  canes  struck  the  skin  of  the  drum- 
basket  above,  tcha-le-le,  tcha-le-le,  it  would  sound ; 
and  ke-le-le  they  would  rattle  as  they  fell  on  the 
robe  below.  "  Ha  !  ha  !  "  old  Mitsina  would  ex 
claim,  as  if  triumphantly  to  some  opponent  in  the 
game, — "  Kohakwa  iyathtokyai !  "  as  much  as  to 
say  :  "  Good  for  you,  old  fellow  !  The  white-corn 
symbol  fell  uppermost ! " 

"Oh!"  the  young  man  would  exclaim  as  he 
listened.  "Oh!"-— and,  wishing  to  learn  more 
about  the  matter,  he  would  stealthily  climb  up  the 
ladder  and  peer  down  through  the  sky-hole.  Old 
Mitsina  would  catch  sight  of  him,  be  sure  of  that, 
and  greet  him  most  cordially,  calling  to  him : 
"  Come  in,  come  in,  my  fine  young  fellow,  come 
in  ;  let  's  have  a  game  !  " 

Now,   he   had   practised   so   long  that   he    had 

up  largely  of  mesas,  or  flat-top  mountains  or  elevations,  rising  one  above 
another  and  showing  as  terraces  on  the  horizon.  Beheld  at  great  dis 
tances,  or  in  the  evening,  these  mountain  terraces  are  mere  silhouettes  and 
serve  to  exaggerate  the  zigzag  spaces  of  light  between  them.  As  the 
conventional  sacred  emblem  for  the  earth  is  a  terrace,  outspread  or 
upreaching,  as  the  case  may  be,  so  the  conventional  sacred  emblem 
for  the  sky  is  an  inverted  terrace. 

To  the  gods  the  whole  earth  is  represented  as  having  seemed  so 
small  that  they  invariably  spoke  of  it  as  the  terraced  plain,  and  in  their 
playing  of  this  game  they  are  supposed  to  have  used  it  as  the  bed  for 
the  game,  as  the  Zuni  people  used  the  outspread  buffalo  robe  for  the 
purpose. 


388  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

acquired  more  skill  than  anyone  else  throughout 
the  world — at  least  among  mortals  ;  so  that  when 
any  of  the  young  men  chanced  to  play  with  him, 
he  invariably  lost,  poor  fellow!  Hanging  on  the 
pole  along  the  north  side  of  Mitsina's  house  were 
the  necklaces,  embroidered  mantles,  and  turquoises, 
and  all  sorts  of  treasures  which  he  had  won  in  this 
way ;  and  as  many  on  the  western  side,  on  the 
southern  side  as  many,  and  on  the  eastern  side 
also. 

When  the  young  man  came  in,  Mitsina  would 
continue  :  "  My  good  friend,  sit  right  down  over 
there.  Have  you  your  canes  today  ? "  If  the 
young  man  said  "  Yes,"  he  would  say  :  "  Ha  !  very 
well."  Or,  if  he  said  "  No,"  "  Never  mind,"  Mitsina 
would  say  ;  "  here  are  some,"  producing  a  very  fine 
set  of  polished  canes.  The  young  man,  being  thus 
pressed,  would  stake  perhaps  his  necklace  or  his 
earrings,  and  the  game  would  begin.  Losing 
them,  he  would  stake  his  clothing,  his  bows  and  ar 
rows — in  fact,  everything  he  had  about  him.  You 
know  how  it  is  with  gamesters  when  they  have 
lost  a  great  deal  and  wish  to  get  it  back  again  ? 
Well,  so  it  was  then.  When  the  young  man  had 
lost  everything,  he  would  bow  his  head  on  his 
hand,  and  sit  thinking.  Then  old  Mitsina,  with  a 
jolly,  devil-may-care  manner,  would  say  :  "  Bet 
your  left  thigh.  I  '11  put  all  you  have  lost  and 
more,  too,  on  that."  The  young  man  would  say  to 
himself,  with  a  sigh  of  relief  :  "  What  an  old  fool 
you  are  !  "  and  reply  :  "  All  right  !  I  will  take  your 
bet."  Alas  !  the  one  thigh  he  bet  is  lost ;  then  the 


Photo  by  A.  C.  Vroman 


PXLOWAHTIWA 


The  Hermit  Mitsina  389 

other  goes  the  same  way  ;  then  one  of  his  sides 
and  arms ;  losing  which,  he  bet  the  other,  and  so 
on,  until  he  had  bet  away  his  whole  body,  including 
his  head.  Then  in  utter  despair  he  would  exclaim  : 
"  Do  with  me  as  thou  wilt.  I  am  thy  slave."  And 
old  Mitsina  with  the  same  devil-may-care  manner 
would  catch  him  up,  take  him  out  to  the  back  of 
his  house  and  wring  his  neck  that  he  might  not  go 
back  and  report  his  losses  to  his  people. 

Again,  some  other  well-equipped  young  man 
would  be  passing  that  way,  and  hearing  the  sound 
made  by  the  solitary  player,  and  being  attracted 
thereby,  would  be  drawn  in  the  same  way  into 
the  game,  would  lose  everything,  and  old  Mitsina 
would  wring  his  neck  and  keep  his  treasures. 

Thus  it  was  in  the  days  of  the  ancients.  Great 
were  the  losses  of  the  young  men,  and  many  of 
them  perished. 

Well,  one  day  little  Ahaiyiita  and  Matsailema — 
the  War-gods  of  peace  times — who  dwelt,  as  you 
know,  where  their  shrine  now  stands  on  Face 
Mountain,  with  their  old  grandmother, — went  out 
hunting  rabbits  and  prairie-dogs.  It  chanced  that 
in  following  the  rabbits  along  the  cliffs  of  a  side 
canon  they  came  into  the  Canon  of  the  Pines,  near 
where  the  house  of  Mitsina  stood.  Presently  they 
heard  the  sounds  of  his  game.  "  Hu,  hu  !  "  the 
old  fellow  would  exclaim  as  he  cast  his  canes  into 
the  air.  Ke-le-le-le  they  would  rattle  as  they  fell 
on  the  skin. 

"  Uh  !  "  exclaimed  Ahaiyuta,  the  elder.  "  Brother 
younger,  listen." 


390  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

The  younger  listened.  "  By  my  eyes  !  "  ex 
claimed  he,  "  it  is  someone  playing  at  cane-cards. 
Let  's  go  and  have  a  peep  at  him."  So  they 
climbed  the  ladder  and  peered  in  through  the 
sky-hole. 

Presently,  old  Mitsina  espied  them,  and  called 
out :  "  Ha  !  my  little  fellows  ;  glad  to  see  you  to 
day  !  How  are  you  ?  Come  in,  come  in  !  I  am 
dying  for  a  game  ;  I  was  playing  here  all  by 
myself." 

The  two  little  War-gods  clambered  down  the 
ladder,  and  old  Mitsina  placed  blankets  for  them, 
invited  them  most  cordially  to  sit  down,  and  asked 
if  they  would  like  to  play  a  game.  Nothing  loth 
they,  seeing  all  the  fine  things  hanging  round  his 
room  ;  so  out  from  their  girdles  they  drew  their 
cane-cards,  for  those,  as  you  know,  they  always 
carried  with  them. 

Perhaps  I  have  not  told  you  that  even  the 
basket-drum  old  Mitsina  played  with  was  fringed 
with  the  handsome  long  turquoise  earrings  which 
he  had  won,  and  even  under  the  robe  on  which  he 
played  there  were  piled  one  over  another,  in  a 
great  flat  heap,  the  finest  of  the  necklaces  gathered 
from  those  whom  he  had  defeated  in  playing  and 
then  slain. 

"  What  would  you  like  to  put  up?"  asked  the 
old  fellow,  pointing  around  his  room — particularly 
to  the  basket-drum  fringed  with  turquoises — and 
lifting  the  robe  and  showing  just  enough  of  the 
necklaces  underneath  it  to  whet  the  appetites  of 
the  little  War-gods. 


The  Hermit  Mitsina  391 

"  We  Ve  nothing  fine  enough  to  bet  for  these 
things,"  said  they  ruefully. 

"  O  ho  !  "  cried  Mitsina.  "  No  matter,  no  matter 
at  all,  my  boys.  Bet  your  bows  and  arrows  and 
clothing ;  if  you  like,  bet  everything  you  have  on, 
and  I  '11  put  up  that  poleful  there  on  the  north 
side  of  my  room." 

"  Good !  good !  tell  him  all  right,"  whispered 
the  younger  brother  to  the  elder. 

So  the  elder  agreed,  chuckling  to  himself,  for 
it  was  rarely  that  a  man  was  found  who  could  beat 
the  little  War-gods  in  a  game.  And  they  began 
their  playing.  How  the  turquoises  rattled  as 
they  threw  their  canes  !  How  the  canes  jingled 
and  thumped  as  they  fell  on  the  robe  ! 

The  game  was  merry  and  long,  and  well  played 
on  both  sides  ;  but  the  poor  little  War-gods  lost. 
Their  countenances  fell ;  but  old  Mitsina,  with  a 
merry  twinkle  in  his  eyes,  exclaimed  :  "  Oh  pshaw ! 
never  mind,  never  mind  ! " 

"Yes,"  said  the  two  War-gods,  "but  how  in 
the  world  are  we  ever  going  back  to  our  grand 
mother  in  this  plight  ?  " — glancing  down  over  their 
bare  bodies,  for  they  had  bet  even  the  clothing 
off  their  backs.  "  What  else  can  we  bet  ?  How 
can  we  win  back  what  we  have  lost  ?  " 

"  Bet  your  left  thighs,"  said  the  old  hermit. 

They  thought  a  moment,  and  concluded  they 
would  do  so.  So  the  game  was  staked  again  and 
begun  and  the  canes  rattled  merrily  ;  but  they  lost 
again.  Then  old  Mitsina  suggested  that  they  bet 
their  other  thighs.  They  did  so  and  again  lost. 


392  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

Then  he  suggested  they  should  bet  their  left  sides, 
hoping  forthwith  to  get  hold  of  their  hearts,  but 
the  young  War-gods  were  crafty.  The  elder  one 
exclaimed  :  "  All  right !  "  but  the  younger  one  said  : 
"  Goodness !  as  for  you,  you  can  bet  your  left 
side  if  you  want  to,  but  I  '11  bet  my  right,  for  my 
heart  is  on  my  left  side,  and  who  ever  heard  of  a 
man  betting  away  his  heart !  " 

"Just  as  you  like,"  said  Mitsina,  "but  if  you'll 
bet  your  bodies  up  to  your  necks  I  will  stake  all 
you  have  lost  and  all  I  have  besides,"  said  he,  look 
ing  around  on  his  fine  possessions. 

"  Done  !  "  cried  the  War-gods.  And  again  they 
played  and  again  lost.  Then  they  had  nothing 
left  but  their  heads  and  ears  and  eyes  to  bet. 
Finally  they  concluded  to  bet  these  also,  for  said 
they  to  one  another :  u  What  good  will  our  heads 
do  us,  even  though  they  be  the  crown-pieces  of 
our  being,  without  the  rest  ?  " 

They  played  again,  but  the  poor  fellows  lost 
their  heads  also.  "  Alas  !  alas  !  do  as  thou  wilt 
with  us,"  exclaimed  the  little  War-gods,  with  rueful 
countenances. 

Old  Mitsina,  locking  them  up  in  a  small  recess 
of  his  house,  went  out  and  gathered  before  his 
front  .door  a  great  quantity  of  dry  wood.  Then  he 
tied  the  little  fellows  hand  and  foot,  and  laid  them 
near  by, — not  near  enough  to  burn  them  up,  but 
near  enough  so  that  they  would  scorch, —  and 
lighted  the  fire,  to  have  the  pleasure  of  roasting 
them.  When  they  began  to  brown  and  sizzle  a 
little  they  writhed  and  howled  with  pain,  but  they 


The  Hermit  Mitsina  393 

were  tough  and  quite  bad,  as  you  know,  and  this  did 
not  kill  them. 

Who  can  hide  a  thing  from  the  eyes  of  the 
gods  ?  The  elder  brothers  of  these  two  foolish 
little  War-gods,  Ahaiyiita  and  Matsailema,  those 
who  dwelt  on  Thunder  Mountain,  became  aware  of 
what  was  going  on.  "  Come,  brother  younger," 
said  the  elder,  strapping  on  his  quiver  and  taking 
his  bow  in  hand,  "  come,  let  us  off  to  old  Mit- 
sina's  house  and  teach  him  a  lesson  ! "  So,  in  a 
twinkling  they  were  climbing  down  the  mountain, 
speeding  across  the  wide  valley,  and  threading 
their  way  through  the  Canon  of  the  Pines. 

Mitsina  had  grown  tired  of  watching  the  poor 
little  War-gods  and  had  gone  in  to  have  another 
little  game,  and  there  he  was  pitching  his  cane- 
cards  and  talking  to  himself,  as  usual.  The  two 
gods  hauled  their  unfortunate  brothers  away  from 
the  fire,  and,  climbing  the  ladder,  peered  in.  Mit 
sina  espied  them,  and  as  usual  invited  them  in  to  a 
game.  With  as  jolly  an  air  as  his  own  they  ac 
cepted  his  challenge  and  sat  down.  Mitsina 
offered  to  bet  all  his  fine  things  hanging  on  the 
north  side  of  the  house.  "  What  will  you  put  up, 
my  little  fellows  ? "  asked  he. 

11  If  you  will  include  those  ugly  little  devils  that 
we  saw  sizzling  before  the  fire  when  we  came  in, 
we  will  bet  you  everything  we  have  with  us," 
said  they. 

"  Good  !  good  !  haul  them  in  !  "  shouted  Mitsina. 

The  War-gods  scrambled  out  of  the  house, 
and,  by  no  means  gently,  dragged  their  wretched 


394  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

little  brothers  in  by  the  heels  and  dumped  them 
down  on  the  floor  to  show  their  indifference,  sat 
down,  and  began  to  play.  They  bet  their  weapons, 
holding  up  the  knife  of  war  which  they  carried,  the 
point  of  lightning  itself  fatal  in  power, — splitter 
of  mountains  and  overcomer  of  demons  and  men 
alike. 

Old  Mitsina,  when  told  of  the  power  of  the  weap 
ons,  became  doubtful  as  to  his  company,  but  pres 
ently  fell  to  and  played  with  a  will.  He  lost.  Then 
he  put  up  all  the  rest  of  his  goods  hanging  on  the 
other  side  of  the  room.  Again  he  lost,  and  again, 
even  the  turquoises  hanging  from  the  basket-drum, 
the  necklaces  under  his  robe,  and  the  things  he 
played  with,  and  getting  wild  with  excitement,  sure 
that  his  luck  would  return,  followed  out  the  plan 
he  had  so  often  suggested  to  others,  and  bet  away 
his  thighs,  then  his  sides  and  arms,  then  his  head 
and  ears,  excepting  his  eyes,  and  last  of  all  his  very 
eyes  themselves.  Each  time  the  young  War-gods 
won.  The  old  gambler  let  his  hands  fall  by  his 
sides,  and  dropped  his  head  on  his  breast,  sick 
with  humiliation  and  chagrin. 

"  Now,  my  brother,"  said  the  elder  to  the 
younger,  "what  shall  we  do  with  this  beast?" 

"  I  don't  know,"  said  the  other.  "We  can't  kill 
him  ;  yet,  if  we  leave  him  to  go  his  own  way,  he  will 
gamble  and  gamble  without  ceasing,  and  make  no 
end  of  trouble.  Suppose  we  make  a  good  man  of 
him." 

"  How  ?  "  asked  the  other. 

"  Pluck  out  his  eyes." 


The  Hermit  Mitsina  395 

"  Capital !  "  exclaimed  the  first.  So,  while  one 
of  them  held  the  old  fellow  down,  the  other 
gouged  out  his  eyes,  and  with  pain  and  horror  he 
utterly  forgot  in  unconsciousness  (swooned  away). 

The  two  elder  War-gods  set  their  younger 
brothers  on  their  feet,  and  all  four  of  them  joined 
in  clearing  out  the  treasures  and  magnificent  pos 
sessions  which  Mitsina  through  all  these  years  had 
won  from  his  victims  ;  and  these  they  took  away 
with  them  that  by  their  sacred  knowledge  they 
might  change  them  into  blessings  for  the  faithful 
of  their  children  among  men,  and  thus  return,  as  it 
were,  what  had  been  lost.  Then  away  they  went, 
leaving  old  Mitsina  still  as  witless  as  a  dead  man, 
to  his  fate. 

By-and-by  the  old  man  came  to  his  senses,  and 
raising  himself  up,  tried  to  look  around,  but,  for 
sooth,  he  could  not  see. 

"What  in  the  world  has  happened?  What  a 
fearful  pain  I  have  in  my  temples  ! "  said  he. 
"  What  is  the  matter  ?  Is  it  night  ?  " 

Then  gradually  his  situation  came  to  him.  He 
uttered  a  groan  of  pain  and  sorrow,  and,  putting 
out  his  hand,  felt  the  wall  and  raised  himself  by  it. 
Then  he  crept  along,  feeling  his  way  to  the  window, 
not  yet  quite  certain  whether  he  had  been  dream 
ing  all  this  and  it  was  still  night,  or  whether  he  had 
really  lost  everything  and  been  bereft  of  his  eyes 
by  those  midgets.  When  he  put  his  hand  into  the 
window,  however,  he  felt  the  warm  sunlight  stream 
ing  in,  and  knew  that  it  was  still  day,  and  that 
it  was  all  true. 


396  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

In  feeling  there  he  chanced  to  touch  a  little 
package  of  pitch  which  had  been  laid  in  the  win 
dow.  He  felt  it  all  over  with  both  hands,  but 
could  not  quite  tell  what  it  was.  Then  he  put 
it  against  his  cheek,  but  was  still  uncertain  ;  then 
he  rubbed  it,  and  smelt  of  it.  "  Pitch  !  pitch  !  as 
I  live  !  "  said  he.  "  I  have  often  lighted  this  when 
it  was  dark,  and  been  able  to  see.  Now,  maybe,  if 
I  light  it  this  time,  I  shall  be  able  to  see  again." 
He  felt  his  way  all  round  the  room  to  the  fireplace, 
and  after  burning  his  fingers  two  or  three  times  in 
feeling  for  coals,  he  found  a  sliver  and  held  it  in 
the  coals  and  ashes  until  he  heard  it  begin  to 
sputter  and  crackle.  Then  he  lighted  the  pitch 
with  it.  Eyeless  though  he  was,  the  fumes  from 
this  medicine  of  the  woodlands  restored  to  him  a 
kind  of  vision.  "  Good  ! "  cried  the  old  fellow,  "  I 
see  again  ! "  But  when  he  looked  around,  he  saw 
nothing  as  it  had  been  formerly  ;  and  his  thoughts 
reverted  to  the  great  City  of  the  Gods  (Kothlu- 
ellakwin)  ;  and,  as  it  were,  he  could  see  the  way 
thither.  So  he  turned  toward  his  door,  and  with  a 
sigh  gave  up  his  old  place  of  abode,  relinquished 
all  thought  of  his  possessions,  gave  up  his  former 
bad  inclinations,  and  turned  westward  toward  the 
City  of  the  Gods  and  Souls. 

As  he  went  along  holding  his  light  before  him 
and  following  it,  he  sang  a  mournful  song.  The 
Birds,  hearing  this  song,  flocked  around  him,  and  as 
he  went  on  singing,  exclaimed  to  one  another : 
"  Ha !  ha !  the  old  wretch  ;  he  has  lost  his  eyes  ! 
Served  him  right !  Let 's  put  out  his  light  for  him." 


The  Hermit  Mitsina  397 

Now,  before  that  time,  strange  as  it  may  seem, 
the  Eagles  and  even  the  Crows  were  as  white 
as  the  foam  on  warring  waters.  The  Eagles  were 
so  strong  that  they  thrust  the  other  birds  away, 
and  began  to  pounce  down  at  Mitsina's  light,  try 
ing  to  blow  it  out  with  their  wings.  Thluh ! 
thluh  !  they  would  flap  into  the  light  ;  but  still 
it  would  not  go  out  ;  and  they  only  singed  their 
feathers  and  blackened  their  wings  and  tails  with 
smoke.  In  looking  at  one  another  they  saw  what 
a  sad  plight  they  were  in.  "  Good  gracious, 
brothers  ! "  exclaimed  some  of  them  to  the  others, 
"  we  have  made  a  fine  mess  of  our  white  plumage  ! " 
And  they  gave  it  up. 

Then  the  Crows  rushed  in  and  flapped  against 
the  light,  but  they  could  not  put  it  out  ;  and  al 
though  they  grew  blacker  and  blacker,  they  would 
not  give  it  up.  So  they  became  as  black  as  crows 
are  now  ;  and  ever  since  then  eagles  have  been 
speckled  with  brown  and  black,  and  crows  have 
been  black,  even  to  the  tips  of  their  beaks.  And 
whenever  in  the  Sacred  Drama  Dance  of  our  peo 
ple  old  Mitsina  appears,  he  sings  the  doleful  song 
and  carries  the  light  of  pitch  pine.  He  goes  naked, 
with  the  exception  of  a  wretched  old  cloth  at  his 
loins  ;  and  he  wears  a  mask  with  deep  holes  for 
eyes,  blood  streaming  from  them. 

Thus  shortens  my  story. 


HOW  THE  TWINS  OF  WAR  AND 
CHANCE,  AHAIYUTA  AND  MATSAI- 
LEMA,  FARED  WITH  THE  UNBORN- 
MADE  MEN  OFTHE  UNDERWORLD1 

TRANSLATOR'S  INTRODUCTION 

TJERETOFORE  I  have  withheld  from  publication 
1  1  such  single  examples  of  Zufii  folk-lore  as  the  fol 
lowing,  in  order  that  the  completer  series  might  be 
brought  forth  in  the  form  of  an  unbroken  collection,  with 
ample  introductory  as  well  as  supplementary  chapters, 
essential  to  the  proper  understanding  by  ourselves  of  the 
many  distinctively  Zufii  meanings  and  conceptions  in 
volved  in  the  various  allusions  with  which  any  one  of 
them  teems.  Yet,  to  avoid  encumbering  the  present  ex 
ample  with  any  but  the  briefest  of  notes,  I  must  ask 
leave  to  refer  the  reader  to  the  more  general  yet  detailed 
chapters  I  have  already  written  in  the  main,  and  with 
which,  I  have  reason  to  hope,  I  will  ere  long  be  able  to 
present  the  tales  in  question.  Meanwhile,  I  would  refer 
likewise  to  the  essay  I  have  recently  prepared  for  the 
Thirteenth  Annual  Report  of  the  Bureau  of  American 
Ethnology,  on  Zuiii  Creation  Myths  in  their  relation  to 
primitive  dance  and  other  dramaturgic  ceremonies. 

Ever  one  of  my  chief  story-tellers  was  Waihusiwa, — of 
the  priestly  kin  of  Zufii.  He  had  already  told  me  some 
what  more  than  fifty  of  the  folk  tales,  long  and  short,  of 
his  people,  when  one  night  I  asked  him  for  "  only  one 
more  story  of  the  grandfathers."  Wishing  to  evade  me, 
he  replied  with  more  show  than  sincerity : 

1  Reprinted  from  the  Journal  of  American  Folk-Lore,  vol.  V.,  No.  16,  pp. 
49-56. 

398 


The  Twins  of  War  399 

"  There  is  a  North,  and  of  it  I  have  told  you  ttf-la-p'- 
na-we.1  There  is  a  West;  of  it  also  I  have  told  you  //- 
la-p'-na-we.  There  are  the  South  and  East;  of  them 
likewise  have  I  told  you  tt-la-p1  -na-we.  Even  of  the 
Above  have  I  not  but  lately  told  you  of  the  youth  who 
made  love  to  his  eagle  and  dwelt  apace  in  the  Sky- 
world  ?  And  of  the  great  World-embracing  Waters  ? 
You  have  been  told  of  the  hunter  who  married  the  Ser 
pent-maiden  and  journeyed  to  the  Mountain  of  Sunset. 
Now,  therefore,  my  word-pouch  is  as  empty  as  the  food- 
pack  of  a  lost  hunter,  and — " 

"  Feel  in  the  bottom  of  it,  then,"  interposed  old  Pdl- 
owahtiwa,  who  was  sitting  near,  "  and  tell  him  of  the 
Underworld." 

" Hi-ta  !  [Listen!]  brother  younger,"  said  Waihusiwa, 
nonplussed  but  ever  ready.  "  Did  you  ever  hear  tell  of 
the  people  who  could  not  digest,  having,  forsooth,  no 
proper  insides  wherewithal  to  do  so  ?  Did  you  ever  hear 
of  them,  brother  younger  ?  " 

"Nay,  never;  not  even  from  my  own  grandfathers," 
said  I.  "  Sons  ho  to  your  story;  short  be  it  or  long."  a 

"  Sons  tso  tse-nd  !  "  ("  Cool  your  '  sons  tso  !  '  and  wait 
till/ begin. ")-F.  H.  C. 

Zufti  INTRODUCTION 

It  seems — so  the  words  of  the  grandfathers  say 
— that  in  the  Underworld  were  many  strange 
things  and  beings,  even  villages  of  men,  long  ago. 

1  From  t/-na-la-a>  "  time  or  times  of,"  and  pd-na-we,  words  or  speeches 
(tales) :  "  tales  of  time." 

2  The  invariable  formula  for  beginning  a  folk  tale  is,  by  the  raconteur: 
"  So"n  ah-tchi  !  "     ("  Let  us  take  up  ") — M-la-p"1 -ne ,  or  "  a  folk  tale,"  being 
understood.     To  this  the  auditors  or  listeners  respond:  "E-so!"  ("Yea, 
verily.")     Again,  by  the  raconteur:  "Sons  i-nti-o-to-na  !    Tern"  etc.    ("Let 
us  (tell  of)  the  times  of  creation  !  When,"  etc.)     Again,  by  the  listeners: 
"  Sons  ho  !  Te-d-tii  !  "     ("  Yea,  let  us,  verily  !     Be  it  so.") 


400  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

But  the  people  of  those  villages  were  unborn-made, 
—more  like  the  ghosts  of  the  dead  than  ourselves, 
yet  more  like  ourselves  than  are  the  ghosts  of  the 
dead,  for  as  the  dead  are  more  finished  of  being 
than  we  are,  they  were  less  so,  as  smoke,  being 
hazy,  is  less  fine  than  mist,  which  is  filmy  ;  or  as 
green  corn,  though  raw,  is  soft  like  cooked  corn 
which  is  done  (like  the  dead),  and  as  both  are  softer 
than  ripe  corn  which,  though  raw,  is  hardened  by 
age  (as  we  are  of  meat). 

And  also,  these  people  were,  you  see,  dead  in 
a  way,  in  that  they  had  not  yet  begun  to  live,  that 
is,  as  we  live,  in  the  daylight  fashion. 

And  so,  it  would  seem,  partly  like  ourselves, 
they  had  bodies,  and  partly  like  the  dead  they  had 
no  bodies,  for  being  unfinished  they  were  unfixed. 
And  whereas  the  dead  are  like  the  wind,  and  take 
form  from  within  of  their  own  wills  (yarite-tseman), 
these  people  were  really  like  the  smoke,1  taking 
form  from  without  of  the  outward  touching  of 
things,  even  as  growing  and  unripe  grains  and 
fruits  do. 

1  The  Zuni  classification  of  states  of  growth  or  being  is  as  elaborate 
as  that  of  relative  space  in  their  mythology — both  extremely  detailed  and 
systematic,  yet,  when  understood,  purely  primitive  and  simple.  The 
universe  is  supposed  to  have  been  generated  from  haze  (shi-wai-d)  pro 
duced  by  light  (of  the  All-container,  Sun-father)  out  of  darkness.  The 
observed  analogy  of  this  in  nature  is  the  appearance  of  haze  (both  heat 
and  steam)  preceding  growth  in  springtime  ;  the  appearance  of  the 
world,  of  growing  and  living  things,  through  mist  seemingly  rising  out 
of  the  darkness  each  morning.  In  harmony  with  this  conception  of  the 
universe  is  the  correlative  one  that  every  being  (as  to  soul,  at  least)  passes 
through  many  successive  states  of  becoming,  always  beginning  as  a 
shi-u-na  hd-i  (haze  being),  and  passing  through  the  raw  or  soft  (Kya- 
pi-na),  the  formative  (ttyai-yu-na),  variable  (tA/fm-ni-na),  fixed  or  done 


The  Twins  of  War  401 

Well,  in  consequence,  it  was  passing  strange 
what  a  state  they  were  in  !  Bethink  ye  !  Their 
persons  were  much  the  reverse  of  our  own,  for 
wherein  we  are  hard,  they  were  soft — pliable. 
Wherein  we  are  most  completed,  they  were  most 
unfinished  ;  for  not  having  even  the  organs  of 
digestion,  whereby  we  fare  lustily,  food  in  its 
solidity  was  to  them  destructive,  whereas  to  us 
it  is  sustaining.  When,  therefore,  they  would  eat, 
they  dreaded  most  the  food  itself,  taking  thought 
not  to  touch  it,  and  merely  absorbing  the  mist 
thereof.  As  fishes  fare  chiefly  on  water,  and  birds 
on  air,  so  these  people  ate  by  gulping  down  the 
steam  and  savor  of  their  cooked  things  whilst 
cooking  or  still  hot  ;  then  they  threw  the  real 
food  away,  forsooth  ! 


THE  TALE 


N 


OW,    the    Twain    Little-ones,    Ahaiyuta    and 
Matsailema,1    were    ever   seeking   scenes    of 


(ak-na),  and  finished  or  dead  (a-shi-k'ya)  states ;  whilst  the  condition  of 
the  surpassing  beings  (gods)  may  be  any  of  these  at  will  (i-thlim-na,  or 
thlim-nah-na^  etc.).  There  are  many  analogies  of  this  observed  by  the 
Zufii,  likening,  as  he  does,  the  generation  of  being  to  that  of  fire  with  the 
fire-drill  and  stick.  The  most  obvious  of  these  is  the  appearance,  in 
volumes,  of  "  smoke-steam  "  or  haze  just  previously  to  ignition,  and  its 
immediate  disappearance  with  ignition.  Further,  the  succession  of  beings 
in  the  becoming  of  a  complete  being  may  be  regarded  as  an  orderly 
personification  of  growth  phenomena  as  observed  in  plants  and  seeds  ; 
for  example,  in  corn,  which  is  characterized  by  no  fewer  than  thirteen 
mystic  names,  according  to  its  stages  of  growth.  This  whole  subject  is 
much  more  fully  and  conclusively  set  forth  in  the  writings  to  which  I  have 
already  referred. 

1  For  the  mythic  origin  of  these  two  chief  gods  under  the  Sun,  as  his 
right-  and  left-hand  being,  their  relation  to  chance,   war,  games,    etc.,   I 

again  refer  the  reader  to  the  Zuni  Creation  Myths. 
26 


402  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

contention  ;  for  what  was  deathly  and  dreadful  to 
others  was  lively  and  delightful  to  them  ;  so  that 
cries  of  distress  were  ever  their  calls  of  invitation, 
as  to  a  feast  or  dance  is  the  call  of  a  priest  to  us. 

On  a  day  when  the  world  was  quiet,  they  were 
sitting  by  the  side  of  a  deep  pool.  They  heard 
curious  sounds  coming  up  through  the  waters,  as 
though  the  bubbles  were  made  by  moans  of  the 
waters  affrighted. 

"  Uh  !  "  cried  the  elder.     "  What  is  that  ?  " 

The  younger  brother  turned  his  ear  to  the 
ground  and  listened. 

"  There  is  trouble  down  there,  dire  trouble,  for 
the  people  of  the  Underworld  are  shrieking  war- 
cries  like  daft  warriors  and  wailing  like  murder- 
mourners.  What  can  be  the  matter  ?  Let  us 
descend  and  see  !  " 

"Just  so  !  "  said  Ahaiyiita. 

Then  they  covered  their  heads  with  their  cord- 
shields  1 —  turned  upside  down  —  and  shut  their 
eyes  and  stepped  into  the  deep  pool. 

"  Now  we  are  in  the  dark,"  said  they,  "  like  the 
dark  down  there.  Well,  then,  by  means  of  the 
dark  let  us  go  down"-— for  they  had  wondrous 
power,  had  those  Twain  ;  the  magic  of  in-knowing- 
how  thought  had  they. 


1  Pi-a-la-we  (cord  or  cotton  shields),  evidently  an  ancient  style  of 
shield  still  surviving  in  the  form  of  sacrificial  net-shields  of  the  Priesthood 
of  the  Bow.  But  the  shields  of  these  two  gods  were  supposed  to  have  been 
spun  from  the  clouds  which,  supporting  the  sky-ocean,  that  in  turn 
supported  the  sky-world  (as:  this  world  is  believed  to  be  supported  by 
under-waters  and  clouds),  were  hence  possessed  of  the  power  of  floating — 
upward  when  turned  up,  downward  when  reversed. 


The  Twins  of  Wat^4-^     403 


Down,  like  light  through  dark  places,  they  went ; 
dry  through  the  waters ;  straight  toward  that 
village  in  the  Underworld. 

"  Whew  !  the  poor  wretches  are  already  dead," 
cried  they,  "  and  rotting" — for  their  noses  were 
sooner  accustomed  to  the  dark  than  their  eyes, 
which  they  now  opened. 

"  We  might  as  well  have  spared  ourselves  the 
coming,  and  stayed  above,"  said  Ahaiyuta. 

"  Nay,  not  so,"  said  Matsailema.  "  Let  us  go 
on  and  see  how  they  lived,  even  if  they  are 
dead." 

"  Very  well,"  said  the  elder  ;  and  as  they  fared 
toward  the  village  they  could  see  quite  plainly 
now,  for  they  had  made  it  dark  (to  themselves) 
by  shutting  their  eyes  in  the  daylight  above,  so 
now  they  made  it  light  (to  themselves)  by  opening 
their  eyes  in  the  darkness  below  and  simply  look 
ing, — it  was  their  way,  you  know. 

"  Well,  well  !  "  said  Matsailema,  as  they  came 
nearer  and  the  stench  doubled.  "  Look  at  the 
village  ;  it  is  full  of  people  ;  the  more  they  smell 
of  carrion  the  more  they  seem  alive  ! " 

"  Yes,  by  the  chut  of  an  arrow ! "  exclaimed 
Ahaiyuta.  "  But  look  here  !  It  is  food  we  smell — 
cooked  food,  all  thrown  away,  as  we  throw  away 
bones  and  corn-cobs  because  they  are  too  hard  to 
eat  and  profitless  withal.  What,  now,  can  be  the 
meaning  of  this  ?  " 

"  What,  indeed  !  Who  can  know  save  by  know 
ing,"  replied  the  younger  brother.  "  Come,  let  us 
lie  low  and  watch." 


404  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

So  they  went  very  quietly  close  to  the  village, 
crouched  down,  and  peered  in.  Some  people  inside 
were  about  to  eat.  They  took  fine  food  steaming 
hot  from  the  cooking-pots  and  placed  it  low  down 
in  wide  trenchers  ;  then  they  gathered  around  and 
sipped  in  the  steam  and  savor  with  every  appear 
ance  of  satisfaction  ;  but  they  were  as  chary  of 
touching  the  food  or  of  letting  the  food  touch 
them  as  though  it  were  the  vilest  of  refuse. 

"  Did  you  see  that  ? "  queried  the  younger 
brother.  "  By  the  delight  of  death,1  but — " 

"  Hist  !  "  cried  the  elder.  "  If  they  are  people  of 
that  sort,  feeding  upon  the  savor  of  food,  then  they 
will  hear  the  suggestions  of  sounds  better  than  the 
sounds  themselves,  and  the  very  demon  fathers 
would  not  know  how  to  fare  with  such  people,  or  to 
fight  them,  either  !  " 

Hah  !  But  already  the  people  had  heard  !  They 
set  up  a  clamor  of  war,  swarming  out  to  seek  the 
enemy,  as  well  they  might,  for  who  would  think 
favorably  of  a  sneaking  stranger  under  the  shade 
of  a  house-wall  watching  the  food  of  another  ? 
Why,  dogs  growl  even  at  their  own  offspring  for 
the  like  of  that  ! 

"  Where  ?  Who  ?  What  is  it  ?  "  cried  the  peo 
ple,  rushing  hither  and  thither  like  ants  in  a 
shower.  "  Hah  !  There  they  are  !  There  ! 
Quick  !  "  cried  they,  pointing  to  the  Twain,  who 
were  cutting  away  to  the  nearest  hillock.  And 
immediately  they  fell  to  singing  their  war-cry. 

1  H^-lu-ha-pa  ;  from  ^/-/«,  or  /-/«,   "  hurrah,"  or  "  how  delightful !  " — 
and  hd-pa,  a  corpse-demon,  death. 


The  Twins  of  War  405 

"  Ha-a  !     Sus-kt  ! 
6-ma-ta 
Hd-wi-mo-o  ! 
O-ma~ta, 
(5-ma-ta  Hd-wi-mo  /  "  * 

sang  they  as  they  ran  headlong  toward  the  Two, 
and  then  they  began  shouting  : 

"  Tread  them  both  into  the  ground  !  Smite  them 
both  !  Fan  them  out  !  Ho-o  !  Ha-a  !  Hd-wi-mo-o 
6-ma-ta!  " 

But  the  Twain  laughed  and  quickly  drew  their 
arrows  and  loosed  them  amongst  the  crowd.  Pit  ! 
tsok !  sang  the  arrows  through  and  through  the 
people,  but  never  a  one  fell. 

"  Why,  how  now  is  this  ?  "  cried  the  elder  brother. 

"  We  '11  club  them,  then  !  "  said  Matsailema,  and 
he  whiffed  out  his  war-club  and  sprang  to  meet  the 
foremost  whom  he  pummelled  well  and  sorely  over 
the  head  and  shoulders.  Yet  the  man  was  only 
confused  (he  was  too  soft  and  unstable  to  be  hurt); 
but  another,  rushing  in  at  one  side,  was  hit  by  one 
of  the  shield-feathers  and  fell  to  the  ground  like 
smoke  driven  down  under  a  hawk's  wing. 

"  Hold,  brother,  I  have  it  !  Hold  ! "  cried 
Ahaiyiita.  Then  he  snatched  up  a  bunch  of  dry 
plume-grass  and  leaped  forward.  Swish !  Two 
ways  he  swept  the  faces  and  breasts  of  the  pursuers. 

1  This,  like  so  many  of  the  folk-tale  songs,  can  only  be  translated  ety- 
mologically  or  by  extended  paraphrasing.  Such  songs  are  always  jargon- 
istic,  either  archaic,  imitative,  or  adapted  from  other  languages  of  tribes 
who  possibly  supplied  incidents  to  the  myths  themselves  ;  but  they  are,  like 
the  latter,  strictly  harmonized  with  the  native  forms  of  expression  and 
phases  of  belief. 


4o6  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

Lo  !  right  and  left  they  fell  like  bees  in  a  rain 
storm,  and  quickly  sued  for  mercy,  screeching  and 
running  at  the  mere  sight  of  the  grass-straws. 

"  You  fools  !  "  cried  the  brothers.  "  Why,  then, 
did  ye  set  upon  us  ?  We  came  for  to  help  you  and 
were  merely  looking  ahead  as  becomes  strangers  in 
strange  places,  when,  lo  !  you  come  running  out  like 
a  mess  of  mad  flies  with  your  '  Ha-a  siis-ki  6-ma-ta  ! ' 
Call  us  coyote-sneaks,  do  you  ?  But  there  !  Rest 
fearless  !  We  hunger  ;  give  us  to  eat." 

So  they  led  the  Twain  into  the  court  within  the 
town  and  quickly  brought  steaming  food  for  them. 

They  sat  down  and  began  to  blow  the  food  to 
cool  it,  whereupon  the  people  cried  out  in  dismay  : 
"  Hold  !  Hold,  ye  heedless  strangers  ;  do  not  waste 
precious  food  like  that !  For  shame  !  " 

"  Waste  food  ?  Ha  !  This  is  the  way  we  eat !  " 
said  they,  and  clutching  up  huge  morsels  they 
crammed  their  mouths  full  and  bolted  them  almost 
whole. 

The  people  were  so  horrified  and  sickened  at 
sight  of  this,  that  some  of  them  sweated  furiously, — 
which  was  their  way  of  spewing  —  whilst  others, 
stouter  of  thought,  cried:  "  Hold  !  hold  !  Ye  will 
die  ;  ye  will  surely  sicken  and  die  if  the  stuff  do  but 
touch  ye  ! " 

"  Ho  !  ho  ! "  cried  the  Twain,  eating  more  lustily 
than  ever.  "  Eat  thus  and  harden  yourselves,  you 
poor,  soft  things,  you  ! " 

Just  then  there  was  a  great  commotion.  Every 
one  rushed  to  the  shelter  of  the  walls  and  houses, 
shouting  to  them  to  leave  off  and  follow  quickly. 


The  Twins  of  War  407 

"  What  is  it  ? "  asked  they,  looking  up  and  all 
around. 

"  Woe,  woe  !  The  gods  are  angry  with  us  this 
day,  and  blowing  arrows  at  us.  They  will  kill  you 
both  !  Hurry  !  "  A  big  puff  of  wind  was  blowing 
over,  scattering  slivers  and  straws  before  it ;  that 
was  all ! 

"  Brother,"  said  the  elder,  "this  will  not  do. 
These  people  must  be  hardened  and  be  taught  to 
eat.  But  let  us  take  a  little  sleep  first,  then  we 
will  look  to  this." 

They  propped  themselves  up  against  a  wall, 
set  their  shields  in  front  of  them,  and  fell  asleep. 
Not  long  after  they  awakened  suddenly.  Those 
strange  people  were  trying  to  drag  them  out  to 
bury  them,  but  were  afraid  to  touch  them  now,  for 
they  thought  them  dead  stuff,  more  dead  than  alive. 

The  younger  brother  punched  the  elder  with 
his  elbow,  and  both  pretended  to  gasp,  then  kept 
very  still.  The  people  succeeded  at  last  in  rolling 
them  out  of  the  court  like  spoiling  bodies,  and 
were  about  to  mingle  them  with  the  refuse  when 
they  suddenly  let  go  and  set  up  a  great  wail,  shout 
ing  "War!  Murder!" 

"How  now?"  cried  the  Twain,  jumping  up. 
Whereupon  the  people  stared  and  chattered  in 
greater  fright  than  ever  at  seeing  the  dead  seem 
ingly  come  to  life  ! 

"  What 's  the  matter,  you  fool  people  ?  " 

"  Akaa  kaa"  cried  a  flock  of  jays. 

a  Hear  that ! "  said  the  villagers.  "  Hear  that, 
and  ask  what 's  the  matter  !  The  jays  are  coming  ; 


408  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

whoever  they  light  on  dies — run  you  two  !  Aii / 
Murder ! "  And  they  left  off  their  standing  as 
though  chased  by  demons.  On  one  or  two  of  the 
hindmost  some  jays  alighted.  They  fell  dead  as 
though  struck  by  lightning  ! 

"Why,    see   that!"    cried   the    elder   brother— 
11  these  people  die  if  only  birds  alight  on  them  ! " 

"  Hold  on,  there ! "  said  the  younger  brother. 
"  Look  here,  you  fearsome  things ! "  So  they 
pulled  hairs  from  some  scalp-locks  they  had,  and 
made  snares  of  them,  and  whenever  the  jays  flew 
at  them  they  caught  them  with  the  nooses  until 
they  had  caught  every  one.  Then  they  pinched 
them  dead  and  took  them  into  the  town  and 
roasted  them.  "  This  is  the  way,"  said  they,  as 
they  ate  the  jays  by  morsels. 

And  the  people  crowded  around  and  shouted : 
"  Look  !  look  !  why,  they  eat  the  very  enemy — 
say  nothing  of  refuse ! "  And  although  they 
dreaded  the  couple,  they  became  very  conciliatory 
and  gave  them  a  fit  place  to  bide  in. 

The  very  next  day  there  was  another  alarm. 
The  Two  ran  out  to  learn  what  was  the  matter. 
For  a  long  time  they  could  see  nothing,  but  at 
last  they  met  some  people  fleeing  into  the  town. 
Chasing  after  them  was  a  cooking-pot  with  ear 
rings  of  onions.1  It  was  boiling  furiously  and 

1  The  onion  here  referred  to  is  the  dried,  southwestern  leek-clove,  which 
is  so  strong  and  indigestible  that,  when  eaten  raw  and  in  quantity,  gives 
rise  to  great  distress,  or  actually  proves  fatal  to  any  but  mature  and 
vigorous  persons.  This,  of  course,  explains  why  it  was  chosen  for  its 
value  as  a  symbol  of  the  vigor  (or  ' '  daylight  perfection  "  and  invincibility) 
of  the  Twin  gods. 


The  Twins  of  War  409 

belching  forth  hot  wind  and  steam  and  spluttering 
mush  in  every  direction.     If  ever  so  little  of  the 
mush  hit  the  people  they  fell  over  and  died. 
"/&/"  cried  the  Twain; 

"  Td-Kya-thla-Vya 
f-ta-wa-k*ya 
Ash! ' -she-shu-kwa  / 

— As  if  food-stuff  were  made  to  make  people 
afraid  !  "  Whereupon  they  twitched  the  ear-rings 
off  the  pot  and  ate  them  up  with  all  the  mush  that 
was  in  the  pot,  which  they  forthwith  kicked  to 
pieces  vigorously. 

Then  the  people  crowded  still  closer  around 
them,  wondering  to  one  another  that  they  could 
vanquish  all  enemies  by  eating  them  with  such 
impunity,  and  they  begged  the  Twain  to  teach 
them  how  to  do  it.  So  they  gathered  a  great 
council  of  the  villagers,  and  when  they  found  that 
these  poor  people  were  only  half  finished,  .  .  . 
they  cut  vents  in  them  (such  as  were  not  afraid 
to  let  them),  .  .  .  and  made  them  eat  solid 
food,  by  means  of  which  they  were  hardened  and 
became  men  of  meat  then  and  there,  instead  of 
having  to  get  killed  after  the  manner  of  the  fear 
ful,  and  others  of  their  kind  beforetime,  in  order 
to  ascend  to  the  daylight  and  take  their  places  in 
men  born  of  men. 

And  for  this  reason,  behold !  a  new-born  child 
may  eat  only  of  wind-stuff  until  his  cord  of  view 
less  sustenance  has  been  severed,  and  then  only 
by  sucking  milk  or  soft  food  first  and  with  much 
distress. 


410  Zufii  Folk  Tales 

Behold  !  And  we  may  now  see  why,  like  new 
born  children  are  the  very  aged  ;  childish  withal — 
d-ya-vwi1 ;  —  not  only  toothless,  too,  but  also  sure 
to  die  of  diarrhoea  if  they  eat  ever  so  little  save 
the  soft  parts  and  broths  of  cooked  food.  For 
are  not  the  babes  new-come  from  the  Shi-u-na  2 
world ;  and  are  not  the  aged  about  to  enter  the 
Shi-po-lo-a  3  world,  where  cooked  food  unconsumed 
is  never  heeded  by  the  fully  dead  ? 

Thus  shortens  my  story. 

1  Dangerously  susceptible,  tender,  delicate. 
3  Hazy,  steam-growing. 
3  Mist-enshrouded. 


THE  COCK  AND  THE  MOUSE 

NOTE. — While  on  their  pilgrimage  to  the  "Ocean  of  Sunrise"  in  the 
summer  of  1886,  three  Zunis — Palowahtiwa,  Waihusiwa,  and  Heluta — with 
Mr.  Gushing,  were  entertaining  their  assembled  friends  at  Manchester-by- 
the-Sea  with  folk  tales,  those  related  by  the  Indians  being  interpreted  by 
Mr.  Gushing  as  they  were  uttered.  When  Mr.  Cushing's  turn  came  for  a 
story  he  responded  by  relating  the  Italian  tale  of  "  The  Cock  and  the 
Mouse  "  which  appears  in  Thomas  Frederick  Crane's  Italian  Popular  Tales. 
About  a  year  later,  at  Zufii,  but  under  somewhat  similar  circumstances, 
Waihusiwa's  .time  came  to  entertain  the  gathering,  and  great  was  Mr.  Cush 
ing's  surprise  when  he  presented  a  Zufii  version  of  the  Italian  tale.  Mr. 
Gushing  translated  the  story  as  literally  as  possible,  and  it  is  here  reproduced, 
together  with  Mr.  Crane's  translation  from  the  Italian,  in  order  that  the 
reader  may  not  only  see  what  transformation  the  original  underwent  in  such 
a  brief  period,  and  how  well  it  has  been  adapted  to  Zufii  environment  and 
mode  of  thought,  but  also  to  give  a  glimpse  of  the  Indian  method  of  folk 
tale  making. — Editor. 

ITALIAN   VERSION 

ONCE  upon  a  time  there  were  a  cock  and  a 
mouse.  One  day  the  mouse  said  to  the  cock : 
"  Friend  Cock,  shall  we  go  and  eat  some  nuts  on 
yonder  tree?"  " As  you  like."  So  they  both 
went  tinder  the  tree  and  the  mouse  climbed  up  at 
once  and  began  to  eat.  The  poor  cock  began  to 
fly,  and  flew  and  flew,  but  could  not  come  where 
the  mouse  was.  When  it  saw  that  there  was  no 
hope  of  getting  there,  it  said  :  "  Friend  Mouse,  do 
you  know  what  I  want  you  to  do  ?  Throw  me  a 
nut."  The  mouse  went  and  threw  one  and  hit  the 
cock  on  the  head.  The  poor  cock,  with  its  head 
all  broken  and  covered  with  blood,  went  away  to  an 
old  woman.  "  Old  aunt,  give  me  some  rags  to  cure 

411 


412  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

my  head."  "If  you  will  give  me  two  hairs  I  will 
give  you  the  rags."  The  cock  went  away  to  a  dog. 
"  Dog,  give  me  two  hairs  ;  the  hairs  I  will  give  the 
old  woman  ;  the  old  woman  will  give  me  rags  to 
cure  my  head."  "  If  you  will  give  me  a  little  bread," 
said  the  dog,  "  I  will  give  you  the  hairs."  The 
cock  went  away  to  a  baker.  "  Baker,  give  me 
bread  ;  I  will  give  bread  to  the  dog  ;  the  dog  will 
give  hairs  ;  the  hairs  I  will  carry  to  the  old  woman  ; 
the  old  woman  will  give  me  rags  to  cure  my  head." 
The  baker  answered :  "  I  will  not  give  you  bread 
unless  you  give  me  some  wood."  The  cock  went 
away  to  the  forest.  "  Forest,  give  me  some  wood  ; 
the  wood  I  will  carry  to  the  baker ;  the  baker  will 
give  me  some  bread  ;  the  bread  I  will  give  to  the 
dog ;  the  dog  will  give  me  hairs ;  the  hairs  I  will 
carry  to  the  old  woman  ;  the  old  woman  will  give 
me  rags  to  cure  my  head."  The  forest  answered  : 
"If  you  will  bring  me  a  little  water,  I  will  give  you 
some  wood."  The  cock  went  away  to  a  fountain. 
"  Fountain,  give  me  water ;  water  I  will  carry  to  the 
forest  ;  forest  will  give  wood  ;  wood  I  will  carry  to 
the  baker ;  baker  will  give  bread  ;  bread  I  will  give 
dog ;  dog  will  give  hairs  ;  hairs  I  will  give  old  wo 
man  ;  old  woman  will  give  rags  to  cure  my  head." 
The  fountain  gave  him  water ;  the  water  he  carried 
to  the  forest ;  the  forest  gave  him  wood  ;  the  wood 
he  carried  to  the  baker  ;  the  baker  gave  him  bread  ; 
the  bread  he  gave  to  the  dog ;  the  dog  gave  him 
the  hairs  ;  the  hairs  he  carried  to  the  old  woman  ; 
the  old  woman  gave  him  the  rags ;  and  the  cock 
cured  his  head. 


The  Cock  and  the  Mouse 

Zu5Ji  VERSION 

TH  US  it  was  in  the  Town  of  the  Floods  Abound 
ing,1  long  ago.  There  lived  there  an  old  wo 
man,  so  they  say,  of  the  Italia-kwe*  who,  in  the 
land  of  their  nativity,  are  the  parental  brothers  of  the 
Mexicans,  it  is  said.  Now,  after  the  manner  of  that 
people,  this  old  woman  had  a  Tdkdkd  Cock  which 
she  kept  alone  so  that  he  would  not  fight  the  others. 
He  was  very  large,  like  a  turkey,  with  a  fine  sleek 
head  and  a  bristle-brush  on  his  breast  like  a  turkey- 
cock's  too,  for  the  Tdkdkd-^inA  were  at  first  the 
younger  brothers  of  the  Turkeys,  so  it  would  seem. 

Well,  the  old  woman  kept  her  Cock  in  a  little 
corral  of  tall  close-set  stakes,  sharp  at  the  top  and 
wattled  together  with  rawhide  thongs,  like  an  eagle- 
cage  against  a  wall,  only  it  had  a  little  wicket  also 
fastened  with  thongs.  Now,  try  as  he  would,  the 
old  Tdkdkd  Cock  could  not  fly  out,  for  he  had  no 
chance  to  run  and  make  a  start  as  turkeys  do  in  the 
wilds,  yet  he  was  ever  trying  and  trying,  because  he 
was  meat-hungry — always  anxious  for  worms  ; — for, 
although  the  people  of  that  village  had  abundant 
food,  this  old  woman  was  poor  and  lived  mainly  on 
grain-foods,  wherefore,  perforce,  she  fed  the  old 
Tdkdkd  Cock  with  the  refuse  of  her  own  eatings. 
In  the  morning  the  old  woman  would  come  and 
throw  this  refuse  food  into  the  corral  cage. 

Under  the  wall  near  by  there  lived  a  Mouse.  He 
had  no  old  grandmother  to  feed  him,  and  he  was 
particularly  fond  of  grain  food.  When,  having  eaten 

Venice.  '"Italy-people." 


4H  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

his  fill,  the  old  Cock  would  settle  down,  stiff  of  neck 
and  not  looking  this  side  nor  that,  but  sitting  in 
the  sun  kd-td-kd-tok-ing  to  himself,  the  little  Mouse 
would  dodge  out,  steal  a  bit  of  tortilla  or  a  crumb, 
and  whisk  into  his  hole  again.  Being  sleepy,  the 
Tdkdkd  Cock  never  saw  him,  and  so,  day  after  day 
the  Mouse  fared  sumptuously  and  grew  over-bold. 
But  one  day,  when  corn  was  ripe  and  the  Cock  had 
been  well  fed  and  was  settling  down  to  his  sitting 
nap,  the  Mouse  came  out  and  stole  a  particularly 
large  piece  of  bread,  so  that  in  trying  to  push  it  into 
his  hole  he  made  some  noise  and,  moreover,  had  to 
stop  and  tunnel  his  doorway  larger. 

The  Cock  turned  his  head  and  looked  just  as  the 
Mouse  was  working  his  way  slowly  in,  and  espied 
the  long,  naked  tail  lying  there  on  the  ground  and 
wriggling  as  the  Mouse  moved  to  and  fro  at  his 
digging. 

"  Hah !  By  the  Grandmother  of  Substance, 
it  is  a  worm  ! "  cackled  the  Cock,  and  he  made  one 
peck  at  the  Mouse's  tail  and  bit  it  so  hard  that  he 
cut  it  entirely  off  and  swallowed  it  at  one  gulp. 

The  Mouse,  squeaking  "  Murder!"  scurried 
down  into  his  sleeping-place,  and  fell  to  licking 
his  tail  until  his  chops  were  all  pink  and  his  mouth 
was  drawn  down  like  a  crying  woman's ;  for  he 
loved  his  long  tail  as  a  young  dancer  loves  the 
glory  of  his  long  hair,  and  he  cried  continually  : 
"  Weh  tsu  tsu,  weh  tsu  tse,  yam  hok  ti-i-i I '"  and 
thought :  "  Oh,  that  shameless  great  beast !  By 
the  Demon  of  Slave-creatures,  I  '11  have  my  pay 
ment  of  him !  For  he  is  worse  than  an  owl 


The  Cock  and  the  Mouse  415 

or  a  night-hawk.  They  eat  us  all  up,  but  he  has 
taken  away  the  very  mark  of  my  mousehood  and 
left  me  to  mourn  it.  I  '11  take  vengeance  on  him, 
will  I  ! " 

So,  from  that  time  the  Mouse  thought  how  he 
might  compass  it,  and  this  plan  seemed  best :  He 
would  creep  out  some  day,  all  maimed  of  tail  as 
he  was,  and  implore  pity,  and  thus,  perchance, 
make  friends  for  a  while  with  the  Tdkdkd  Cock. 
So  he  took  seed-down,  and  made  a  plaster 
of  it  with  nut-resin,  and  applied  it  to  the  stump 
of  his  tail.  Then,  on  a  morning,  holding  his  tail 
up  as  a  dog  does  his  foot  when  maimed  by  a  cac 
tus,  he  crawled  to  the  edge  of  his  hole  and  cried 
in  a  weak  voice  to  the  Tdkdkd  : 

' '  Ani,  yoa  yoa  !     Itd-aKya  Mosa, 
Motcho  wak'ya, 
Oshe  wak'ya, 
Ethl  hd  as  ha  ni  ha.     Ha  na,yoa,  ha  na  !  " 

Look  you,  pity,  pity  !     Master  of  Food  Substance, 

Of  my  maiming, 

Of  my  hunger, 
I  am  all  but  dying.     Ah  me,  pity,  ah  me  ! 

Whereupon  he  held  up  his  tail,  which  was  a  safe 
thing  to  do,  you  see,  for  it  no  longer  looked  like 
a  worm  or  any  other  eatable. 

Now,  the  Tdkdkd  was  flattered  to  be  called  a 
master  of  plenty,  so  he  said,  quite  haughtily  (for 
he  had  eaten  and  could  not  bend  his  neck,  and  felt 
proud,  withal),  "  Come  in,  you  poor  little  thing, 
and  eat  all  you  want.  As  if  I  cared  for  what  the 


4i  6  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

like  of  you  could  eat !  "  So  the  Mouse  went  in 
and  ate  very  little,  as  became  a  polite  stranger, 
and  thanking  the  Cock,  bade  him  good-day  and 
went  back  to  his  hole. 

By-and-by  he  came  again,  and  this  time  he 
brought  part  of  a  nutshell  containing  fine  white 
meat.  When  he  had  shouted  warning  of  his  com 
ing  and  entered  the  corral  cage,  he  said  :  "  Com 
rade  father,  let  us  eat  together.  Of  this  food  I 
have  plenty,  gathered  from  yonder  high  nut-tree 
which  I  climb  every  autumn  when  the  corn  is 
ripe  and  cut  the  nuts  therefrom.  But  of  all  food 
yours  I  most  relish,  since  I  cannot  store  such  in 
my  cellar.  Now,  it  may  be  you  will  equally  relish 
mine  ;  so  let  us  eat,  then,  together." 

"  It  is  well,  comrade  child,"  replied  the  Cock ; 
so  they  began  to  eat. 

But  the  Cock  had  no  sooner  tasted  the  nut  than 
he  fairly  chuckled  for  joy,  and  having  speedily 
made  an  end  of  the  kernel,  fell  to  lamenting  his 
hard  lot.  "  Alas,  ah  me!"  he  said.  "  My  grand 
mother  brings  me,  on  rare  days,  something  like  to 
this,  but  picked  all  too  clean.  There  is  nought 
eatable  so  nice.  Comrade  little  one,  do  you  have 
plenty  of  this  kind,  did  you  say  ?  " 

"  Oh,  yes,"  replied  the  Mouse;  "but,  you  see, 
the  season  is  near  to  an  end  now,  and  when  I 
want  more  nuts  I  must  go  and  gather  them  from 
the  tree.  Look,  now  !  Why  do  you  not  go  there 
also  ?  That  is  the  tree,  close  by." 

"  Ah  me,  I  cannot  escape,  woe  to  me  !  Look 
at  my  wings,"  said  the  Cock,  "  they  are  worn  to 


The  Cock  and  the  Mouse  417 

bristles — and  as  to  the  beard  on  my  breast,  my 
chief  ornament,  alas  !  it  is  all  crumpled  and  un 
even,  so  much  have  I  tried  to  fly  out  and  so  hard 
have  I  pushed  against  the  bars.  As  for  the  door, 
my  grandmother  claps  that  shut  and  fastens  it 
tightly  with  thongs,  be  you  sure,  as  soon  as  ever 
she  finishes  the  feeding  of  me ! " 

"Ha!  ha!"  exclaimed  the  Mouse.  "If  that's 
all,  there's  nothing  easier  than  to  open  that. 
Look  at  my  teeth ;  I  even  crack  the  hard  nuts 
with  these  scrapers  of  mine!  Wait!"  He  ran 
nimbly  up  the  wicket  and  soon  gnawed  through 
the  holding-string.  "  There !  comrade  father ; 
push  open  the  door,  you  are  bigger  than  I,  and 
we  will  go  nutting." 

"  Thanks  this  day,"  cried  the  Cock,  and  shoving 
the  wicket  open,  he  ran  forth  cackling  and  crowing 
for  gladness. 

Then  the  Mouse  led  the  way  to  the  tree.  Up 
the  trunk  he  ran,  and  climbed  and  climbed  until 
he  came  to  the  topmost  boughs.  "  Ha  !  the  nuts 
are  fine  and  ripe  up  here,"  he  shouted. 

But  the  Tdkdkd  fluttered  and  flew  all  in  vain  ; 
his  wings  were  so  worn  he  could  not  win  even  to 
the  lowermost  branches.  "  Oh  !  have  pity  on  me, 
comrade  child  !  Cut  off  some  of  the  nuts  and  throw 
them  down  to  me,  do  !  My  wings  are  so  worn  I 
cannot  fly  any  better  than  the  grandmother's  old 
dog,  who  is  my  neighbor  over  there." 

"  Be  patient,  be  patient,  father ! "  exclaimed  the 
Mouse.  "  I  am  cracking  a  big  one  for  you  as  fast 
as  I  can.  There,  catch  it ! "  and  he  threw  a  fat 


4i 8  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

nut  close  to  the  Cock,  who  gleefully  devoured 
the  kernel  and,  without  so  much  as  thanks,  called 
for  more. 

"Wait,  father,"  said  the  Mouse.  "There! 
Stand  right  under  me,  so.  Now,  catch  it ;  this  is 
a  big  one ! "  Saying  which  the  Mouse  crawled 
out  until  he  was  straight  over  the  Cock.  "  Now, 
then,"  said  he,  "watch  in  front!"  and  he  let  fall 
the  nut.  It  hit  the  Cock  on  the  head  so  hard  that 
it  bruised  the  skin  off  and  stunned  the  old  Tdkdkd 
so  that  he  fell  over  and  died  for  a  short  time, 
utterly  forgetting. 

"TV  mi  thlo  k6  thlo  kwa  /"  shouted  the  Mouse, 
as  he  hurried  down  the  tree.  "  A  little  waiting, 
and  lo  !  What  my  foe  would  do  to  me,  I  to  him 
do,  indeed ! "  Whereupon  he  ran  across,  before 
ever  the  Cock  had  opened  an  eye,  and  gnawed  his 
bristles  off  so  short  that  they  never  could  grow 
again.  "  There,  now  !  "  said  the  Mouse.  "  Lo  ! 
thus  healed  is  my  heart,  and  my  enemy  is  even  as 
he  made  me,  bereft  of  distinction  ! "  Then  he  ran 
back  to  his  cellar,  satisfied. 

Finally  the  Cock  opened  his  eyes.  "  Ah  me, 
my  head ! "  he  exclaimed.  Then,  moaning,  he 
staggered  to  his  feet,  and  in  doing  so  he  espied 
the  nut.  It  was  smooth  and  round,  like  a  brown 
egg.  When  the  Cock  saw  it  he  fell  to  lamenting 
more  loudly  than  ever :  "  Oh,  my  head  !  Td-kd- 
kd-kd-d-d  ! "  But  the  top  of  his  head  kept  bleed 
ing  and  swelling  until  it  was  all  covered  over  with 
welts  of  gore,  and  it  grew  so  heavy,  withal,  that 
the  Tdkdkd  thought  he  would  surely  die.  So  off 


The  Cock  and  the  Mouse  419 

to  his  grandmother  he  went,  lamenting  all  the  way. 

Hearing  him,  the  grandmother  opened  the  door, 
and  cried  :  "What  now?" 

"  Oh,  my  grandmother,  ah  me !  I  am  mur 
dered  ! "  he  answered.  "  A  great,  round,  hard 
seed  was  dropped  on  my  head  by  a  little  creature 
with  a  short,  one-feathered  tail,  who  came  and  told 
me  that  it  was  good  to  eat  and — oh  !  my  head  is 
all  bleeding  and  swollen  !  By  the  light  of  your 
favor,  bind  my  wound  for  me  lest,  alas,  I 
die!" 

"  Served  you  right !  Why  did  you  leave  your 
place,  knowing  better  ?"  cried  the  old  woman.  "  I 
will  not  bind  your  head  unless  you  give  me  your 
very  bristles  of  manhood,  that  you  may  remember 
your  lesson  ! " 

"Oh!  take  them,  grandmother!"  cried  the 
Cock ;  but  when  he  looked  down,  alas  !  the  beard 
of  his  breast,  the  glory  of  his  kind,  was  all  gone. 
"  Ah  me  !  ah  me !  What  shall  I  do  ? "  he  again 
cried.  But  the  old  woman  told  him  that  unless  he 
brought  her  at  least  four  bristles  she  would  not 
cure  him,  and  forthwith  she  shut  the  door. 

So  the  poor  Cock  slowly  staggered  back  toward 
his  corral,  hoping  to  find  some  of  the  hairs  that 
had  been  gnawed  off.  As  he  passed  the  little 
lodge  of  his  neighbor,  the  Dog,  he  caught  sight 
of  old  Wahtsitas  fine  muzzle-beard.  "  Ha ! " 
thought  he.  Then  he  told  the  Dog  his  tale,  and 
begged  of  him  four  hairs — "  only  four  !  " 

"  You  great,  pampered  noise-maker,  give  me 
some  bread,  then,  fine  bread,  and  I  will  give  you 


42o  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

the  hairs."  Whereupon  the  Cock  thought,  and 
went  to  the  house  of  a  Trader  of  Foodstuffs ;  and 
he  told  him  also  the  tale. 

'  Well,  then,  bring  me  some  wood  with  which  I 
may  heat  the  oven  to  bake  the  bread,"  said  the 
Trader  of  Foodstuffs. 

The  Cock  went  to  some  Woods  near  by.  "  Oh, 
ye  Beloved  of  the  Trees,  drop  me  dry  branches  ! " 
And  with  this  he  told  the  Trees  his  tale ;  but  the 
Trees  shook  their  leaves  and  said  :  "  No  rain  has 
fallen,  and  all  our  branches  will  soon  be  dry.  Be 
seech  the  Waters  that  they  give  us  drink,  then  we 
will  gladly  give  you  wood." 

Then  the  Cock  went  to  a  Spring  near  by, — and 
when  he  saw  in  it  how  his  head  was  swollen  and  he 
found  that  it  was  growing  harder,  he  again  began 
to  lament. 

"  What  matters?"  murmured  the  Beloved  of  the 
Waters. 

Then  he  told  them  the  tale  also. 

"  Listen  !  "  said  the  Beings  of  Water.  "  Long 
have  men  neglected  their  duties,  and  the  Beloved 
of  the  Clouds  need  payment  of  due  no  less  than 
ourselves,  the  Trees,  the  Food-maker,  the  Dog, 
and  the  Old  Woman.  Behold !  no  plumes  are  set 
about  our  border  !  Now,  therefore,  pay  to  them  of 
thy  feathers — four  floating  plumes  from  under  thy 
wings — and  set  them  close  over  us,  that,  seen  in 
our  depths  from  the  sky,  they  will  lure  the  Beloved 
of  the  Clouds  with  their  rain-laden  breaths.  Thus 
will  our  stream-way  be  replenished  and  the  Trees 
watered,  and  their  Winds  in  the  Trees  will  drop 


The  Cock  and  the  Mouse  421 

thee  dead  branches  wherewith  thou  mayest  make 
payment  and  all  will  be  well." 

Forthwith  the  Tdkdkd  plucked  four  of  his  best 
plumes  and  set  them,  one  on  the  northern,  one  on 
the  western,  one  on  the  southern,  and  one  on  the 
eastern  border  of  the  Pool.  Then  the  Winds  of 
the  Four  Quarters  began  to  breathe  upon  the  four 
plumes,  and  with  those  Breaths  of  the  Beloved 
came  Clouds,  and  from  the  Clouds  fell  Rain,  and 
the  Trees  threw  down  dry  branches,  and  the  Wind 
placed  among  them  Red-top  Grass,  which  is  light 
and  therefore  lightens  the  load  it  is  among.  And 
when  the  Cock  returned  and  gathered  a  little  bun 
dle  of  fagots,  lo  !  the  Red-top  made  it  so  light  that 
he  easily  carried  it  to  the  Food-maker,  who  gave 
him  bread,  for  which  the  Dog  gave  him  four 
bristles,  and  these  he  took  to  the  old  Grand 
mother. 

"  Ha  !  "  exclaimed  she.  "  Now,  child,  I  will  cure 
thee,  but  thou  hast  been  so  long  that  thy  head  will 
always  be  welted  and  covered  with  proud-flesh, 
even  though  healed.  Still,  it  must  ever  be  so. 
Doing  right  keeps  right ;  doing  wrong  makes 
wrong,  which,  to  make  right,  one  must  even  pay  as 
the  sick  pay  those  who  cure  them.  Go  now,  and 
bide  whither  I  bid  thee." 

When,  after  a  time,  the  Cock  became  well,  lo  ! 
there  were  great,  flabby,  blood-red  welts  on  his 
head  and  blue  marks  on  his  temples  where  they 
were  bruised  so  sore.  Now,  listen  : 

It  is  for  this  reason  that  ever  since  that  time  the 
medicine  masters  of  that  people  never  give  cure 


422  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

without  pay ;  never,  for  there  is  no  virtue  in  medi 
cine  of  no  value.  Ever  since  then  cocks  have  had 
no  bristles  on  their  breasts — only  little  humps  where 
they  ought  to  be  ; — and  they  always  have  blood-red 
crests  of  meat  on  their  heads.  And  even  when  a 
hen  lays  an  egg  and  a  tdkdkd  cock  sees  it,  he  be 
gins  to  td-kd-kd-d  as  the  ancient  of  them  all  did 
when  he  saw  the  brown  nut.  And  sometimes  they 
even  pick  at  and  eat  these  seeds  of  their  own  chil 
dren,  especially  when  they  are  cracked. 

As  for  mice,  we  know  how  they  went  into  the 
meal-bags  in  olden  times  and  came  out  something 
else,  and,  getting  smoked,  became  tsothliko-ahdi, 
with  long,  bare  tails.  But  that  was  before  the 
Cock  cut  the  tail  of  the  tsothliko  Mouse  off.  Ever 
since  he  cried  in  agony  :  "  Weh  tsu  yii  weh  tsu  !  " 
like  a  child  with  a  burnt  finger,  his  children  have 
been  called  Wehtsutsukwe,  and  wander  wild  in  the 
fields ;  hence  field-mice  to  this  day  have  short 
tails,  brown-stained  and  hairy  ;  and  their  chops  are 
all  pink,  and  when  you  look  them  in  the  face  they 
seem  always  to  be  crying. 

Thus  shortens  my  story. 


THE  GIANT  CLOUD-SWALLOWER 

A   TALE   OF   CAfiON   DE   CHELLY 

TRANSLATOR'S  INTRODUCTION 

DEEP  down  in  caftons  of  the  Southwest,  especially 
where  they  are  joined  by  other  caftons,  the  traveller 
may  see  standing  forth  from  or  hugging  the  angles  of  the 
cliffs,  great  towering  needles  of  stone — weird,  rugged,  fan 
tastic,  oftentimes  single,  as  often — like  gigantic  wind- 
stripped  trees  with  lesser  trees  standing  beside  them 
— double  or  treble.  Seen  suddenly  at  a  turn  in  the  cafton 
these  giant  stones  startle  the  gazer  with  their  monstrous 
and  human  proportions,  like  giants,  indeed,  at  bay  against 
the  sheer  rock  walls,  protecting  their  young,  who  appear 
anon  to  crouch  at  the  knees  of  their  fathers  or  cling  to 
their  sides. 

Few  white  men  behold  these  statuesque  stones  in  the 
moonlight,  or  in  the  gray  light  and  white  mists  of  the 
morning.  At  midday  they  seem  dead  or  asleep  while 
standing ;  but  when  the  moon  is  shining  above  them  and 
the  wanderer  below  looks  up  to  them,  lo  !  the  moon  stands 
still  and  these  mighty  crags  start  forth,  advancing  noise 
lessly.  His  back  is  frozen,  and  even  in  the  yielding  sand 
his  feet  are  held  fast  by  terror — a  delicious,  ghostly  terror, 
withal !  Still  he  gazes  fascinated,  and  as  the  shadow  of 
the  moonlight  falls  toward  him  over  the  topmost  crest,  lo, 
again !  its  crown  is  illumined  and  circled  as  if  by  a  halo  of 
snow-light,  and  back  and  forth  from  this  luminous  fillet 
over  that  high  stony  brow,  black  hair  seems  to  tumble  and 
gather. 

Again,  beheld  in  the  dawn-light,  when  the  mists  are  ris 
ing  slowly  and  are  waving  to  and  fro  around  the  giddy 

423 


424  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

columns,  hiding  the  cliffs  behind  them,  these  vast  pinnacles 
seem  to  nod  and  to  waver  or  to  sway  themselves  back 
ward  and  forward,  all  as  silently  as  before.  Soon,  when 
the  sun  is  risen  and  the  mists  from  below  fade  away,  the 
wind  blows  more  mist  from  the  mesa ;  you  see  clouds  of 
it  pour  from  the  cliff  edge,  just  behind  and  above  these 
great  towers,  and  shimmer  against  the  bright  sky ;  but  as 
soon  as  these  clouds  pass  the  crag-nests  they  are  lost  in 
the  sunlight  around  them — lost  so  fast,  as  yet  others  come 
on,  that  the  stone  giants  seem  to  drink  them. 

Of  such  rocks,  according  to  their  variety  and  local  sur 
roundings,  the  Zufiis  relate  many  tales  which  are  so  ingeni 
ous  and  befitting  that  if  we  believed,  as  the  Zufiis  do,  that 
in  the  time  of  creation  when  all  things  were  young  and 
soft  and  were  therefore  easily  fashioned  by  whatever 
chanced  to  befall  them — into  this  thing  or  that  thing,  into 
this  plant  or  that  plant,  this  animal  or  that,  and  so  on  end 
lessly  through  a  dramatic  story  longer  than  Shakespeare 
or  the  Bible — we  would  fain  believe  also  as  he  does  in  the 
quaint  incidents  of  these  stories  of  the  time  when  all  things 
were  new  and  the  world  was  becoming  as  we  see  it  now. 

One  of  these  tales,  a  variant  of  others  pertaining  to  par 
ticular  standing  rocks  in  the  west,  south,  or  east,  is  told  of 
that  wonder  to  all  beholders,  "  El  Capitan,"  of  the  Caflon 
de  Chelly  in  the  north.  No  one  who  has  seen  this  stu 
pendous  rock  column  can  fail  to  be  interested  in  the  fol 
lowing  legend,  or  will  fail  to  realize  how,  as  this  intro 
duction  endeavors  to  make  plainer,  the  Zufli  poet  and 
philosopher  of  olden  times  built  up  a  story  which  he  verily 
believed  quite  sufficient  to  account  for  the  great  shaft  of 
sandstone  and  its  many  details  and  surroundings. — F.  H.  C. 

Haki  Suto,  or  Foretop  Knot,  he  whose  hair  was 
done  up  over  his  forehead  like  a  quail's  crest,  lived 
among  the  great  cliffs  of  the  north  long  ago,  when 
the  world  was  new.  He  was  a  giant,  so  tall  that 


The  Giant  Cloud-swallower          425 

men  called  him  Lo  Ikwithltchunona,  or  the  Cloud- 
swallower.  A  devourer  of  men  was  he, — men  were 
his  meat — yea,  and  a  drinker  of  their  very  substance 
was  he,  for  the  cloud-breaths  of  the  beloved  gods, 
and  souls  of  the  dead,  whence  descend  rains,  even 
these  were  his  drink.  Wherefore  the  People  of  the 
Cliffs  sought  to  slay  him,  and  hero  after  hero  per 
ished  thuswise.  Wherefore,  too,  snow  ceased  in 
the  north  and  the  west ;  rain  ceased  in  the  south 
and  the  east ;  the  mists  of  the  mountains  above 
were  drunk  up  ;  the  waters  of  the  valleys  below 
were  dried  up  ;  corn  withered  in  the  fields ;  men 
hungered  and  died  in  the  cliffs. 

Then  came  the  Twin  Gods  of  War,  Ahaiyuta  and 
Matsailema,  who  in  play  staked  the  lives  of  foes 
and  fierce  creatures.  "  Lo  !  it  is  not  well  with  our 
children,  men,"  said  they.  "  Let  us  destroy  this 
Haki  Suto,  the  swallower  of  clouds,"  said  they. 

They  were  walking  along  the  trail  which  leads 
southward  to  the  Smooth-rocks-descending. 

"  O,  grandchildren,  where  be  ye  wending  ?  "  said 
a  little,  little  quavering  voice.  They  looked, — the 
younger,  then  the  elder.  There  on  the  tip  of  a 
grass-stalk,  waving  her  banner  of  down-stuff,  stood 
their  grandmother,  Spinner  of  Meshes. 

"  The  Spider !  Our  Grandmother  Spider  !  "  cried 
one  of  the  gods  to  the  other.  "  Ho  !  grandmother, 
was  that  you  calling  ?  "  shouted  they  to  her. 

"  Yea,  children  ;  where  wend  ye  this  noon-day  ?" 

"  A-warring  we  are  going,"  said  they.   "  Look  now  ! 

"  No  beads  for  to  broider  your  awning 
Have  fallen  this  many  a  morning." 


426  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

"  Aha,  wait  ye  !  Whom  ye  seek,  verily  I  know 
him  well,"  said  the  Spider-woman. 

"  Like  a  tree  fallen  down  from  the  mountain 
He  lies  by  the  side  of  the  cliff-trail 
And  feigns  to  sleep  there,  yet  is  wary. 
I  will  sew  up  his  eyes  with  my  down-cords. 
Then  come  ye  and  smite  him,  grandchildren." 

She  ran  ahead.  There  lay  Haki  Suto,  his  legs 
over  the  trail  where  men  journeyed.  Great,  like 
the  trunks  and  branches  of  pine  trees  cast  down  by 
a  wind-storm,  were  his  legs  arching  over  the  path 
way,  and  when  some  one  chanced  to  come  by,  the 
giant  would  call  out :  "  Good  morning  ! "  and  bid 
him  "  pass  right  along  under."  "I  am  old  and 
rheumatic,"  he  would  continue,  oh,  so  politely ! 
"  Do  not  mind  my  rudeness,  therefore  ;  run  right 
along  under ;  never  fear,  run  right  along  under ! " 
But  when  the  hunter  tried  to  pass,  ktiutsu  !  Haki 
Suto  would  snatch  him  up  and  cast  him  over  the 
cliff  to  be  eaten  by  the  young  Forehead-cresters. 

The  Spider  stepped  never  so  lightly,  and  climbed 
up  behind  his  great  ear,  and  then  busily  wove  at  her 
web,  to  and  fro,  up  and  down,  and  in  and  out  of  his 
eyelashes  she  busily  plied  at  her  web. 

"  Pesk  the  birds  and  buzz  creatures  ! "  growled 
the  giant,  twitching  this  way  and  that  his  eyebrows, 
which  tickled  ;  but  he  would  not  stir, — for  he  heard 
the  War-gods  coming,  and  thought  them  fat  hunters 
and  needs  must  feign  sleepy. 

And  these  ?  Ha  !  ha  !  They  begin  to  sing,  as 
was  their  fearless  wont  sometimes.  Haki  Suto 


The  Giant  Cloud-swallower          427 

never  looked,  but  yawned  and  drawled  as  they  came 
near,  and  nearer.  "  Never  mind,  my  children,  pass 
right  along  under,  pass  right  along  under ;  I  am 
lame  and  tired  this  morning,"  said  he. 

Ahaiyiita  ran  to  the  left.  Matsailema  ran  to  the 
right.  Haki  Su to  sprang  up  to  catch  them,  but  his 
eyes  were  so  blinded  with  cobwebs  that  he  missed 
them  and  feigned  to  fall,  crying :  "  Ouch  !  my  poor 
back  !  my  poor  back  !  Pass  right  along  under,  my 
children,  it  was  only  a  crick  in  my  back.  Ouch  ! 
Oh,  my  poor  back  !  "  But  they  whacked  him  over 
the  head  and  stomach  till  he  stiffened  and  died. 
Then  shouting  "  So  ho  !  "  they  shoved  him  over  the 
cliff. 

The  Navahos  say  that  the  grandmother  tied  him 
there  by  the  hair — by  his  topknot — where  you  see 
the  white  streaks  on  the  pillar,  so  they  say  ;  but  it 's 
the  birds  that  streak  the  pillar,  and  this  is  the  way. 
When  Haki  Suto  fell,  his  feet  drave  far  into  the 
sands,  and  the  Storm-gods  rushed  in  to  the  aid  of 
their  children,  the  War-gods,  and  drifted  his  blood- 
bedrenched  carcass  all  over  with  sand,  whence  he 
dried  and  hardened  to  stone.  When  the  young 
ones  saw  him  falling,  they  forthwith  flocked  up  to 
devour  him,  making  loud  clamor.  But  the  Twain, 
seeing  this,  made  after  them  too  and  twisted  the 
necks  of  all  save  only  the  tallest  (who  was  caught 
in  the  sands  with  his  father)  and  flung  them  aloft 
to  the  winds,  whereby  one  became  instantly  the 
Owl,  who  twists  her  head  wholly  around  whensoever 
she  pleases,  and  stares  as  though  frightened  and 
strangled  ;  and  another  the  Falcon  became,  who 


428  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

perches  and  nests  to  this  day  on  the  crest  of  his 
sand-covered  father,  the  Giant  Cloud-drinker.  And 
the  Falcons  cry  ever  and  ever  "  '  Tis  father ;  O 
father  !  "  (  ' '  Ti-tatchu  ya-tatchu. ' ') 

But,  fearing  that  never  again  would  the  waters 
refreshen  their  canons,  our  ancients  who  dwelt  in 
the  cliffs  fled  away  to  the  southward  and  eastward 
—all  save  those  who  had  perished  aforetime ;  they 
are  dead  in  their  homes  in  the  cliff-towns,  dried,  like 
their  cornstalks  that  died  when  the  rain  stopped 
long,  long  ago,  when  all  things  were  new. 

Thus  shortens  my  story. 


J 


THE   MAIDEN   THE    SUN    MADE    LOVE 
TO,    AND    HER    BOYS 

OR,    THE    ORIGIN    OF    ANGER 

LET  it  be  about  a  person  who  lived  in  the 
Home  of  the  Eagles  (K'iakime),  under  the 
Mountain  of  Thunder,  that  I  tell  you  today.  So 
let  it  be.  It  was  in  the  ancient,  long-forgotten 
times.  It  was  in  the  very  ancient  times  beyond 
one's  guessing.  There  lived  then,  in  this  town, 
the  daughter  of  a  great  priest-chief,  but  she  had 
never,  never,  never  since  she  was  a  little  child, 
come  forth  from  the  doorway  of  the  house  in 
which  she  dwelt.  No  one  there  in  that  town  had 
ever  seen  her ;  even  her  own  townspeople  had 
never  seen  her. 

Now,  day  after  day  at  noon-time,  when  the  Sun 
stood  in  the  mid-heavens,  he  would  look  down 
from  the  sky  through  a  little  window  in  the  roof 
of  her  house.  And  he  it  was  who  instant  was  her 
lover,  and  who,  descending  upon  the  luminously 
yellow  trail  his  own  rays  created,  would  talk  to 
her.  And  he  was  her  only  companion,  for  she 
knew  not  her  own  townspeople,  neither  had  she 
seen  them  since  she  was  a  child.  None  save  only 
her  parents  ever  saw  her. 

"  Wonder  what  the  cacique's  child  looks  like," 
the  people  would  say  to  one  another.  "  She  never 
comes  out ;  no  one  has  seen  her  since  she  was  a 

429 


430  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

little  child."  And  so  at  last  they  schemed  to  get  a 
look  at  her.  One  said  :  "  I  have  it  !  Let  us  have 
a  dance  for  her.  Then  it  may  be  she  will  deign  to 
come  forth." 

The  young  man  who  spoke  was  chief  of  the 
dances,  and  why  should  he  not  suggest  such  a 
thing  ?  So,  his  friends  and  followers  agreeing, 
they  began  to  make  plumes  of  macaw  feathers  — 
beautiful  plumes  they  were  —  for  the  Plume  dance. 
They  set  a  day,  and  on  that  day,  in  the  morning, 
they  danced,  with  music  and  song,  in  the  plaza  be 
fore  the  house  of  the  great  priest-chief  where  the 
girl  lived.  They  looked  along  the  top  of  the 
house  in  vain  ;  the  girl  was  not  there  ;  only  her 
old  parents  sat  on  the  roof. 

"  Oh  !  I  'm  so  thirsty  !  "  cried  the  chief  of  the 
dance,  for  he  it  was  who  wanted  to  see  the  girl. 

"  Run  right  in  and  get  a  drink,"  said  the  girl's 
old  ones.  So  the  young  man  climbed  the  ladder 
and  went  into  the  first  room.  There  was  no  water 
there  ;  then  he  went  into  the  second  room,  but 
there  was  no  water  there  ;  then  into  the  third 
room,  but  still  he  found  no  water.  He  looked  all 
around,  but  saw  nothing  of  the  priest-chief's  daugh 
ter.  All  the  same,  she  was  back  in  the  fourth 
room,  sitting  there  just  as  if  no  dance  were  going 
on  in  the  plaza,  weaving  away  at  her  beautiful 
trays  of  colored  splints. 

Well,  the  young  man  went  back  ;  they  finished 
their  dance,  but  no  one  saw  anything  of  the  priest- 
chief's  daughter ;  and  when  the  dancers  all  re 
turned  to  their  ceremonial  chamber  they  said  to 


The  Maiden  and  the  Sun  43 i 

one  another  :  "  Alas  !  although  we  danced  for  her, 
she  came  not  out  to  see  us  !  " 

Now,  in  reality,  the  Sun,  who  was  her  lover,  and 
came  down  each  day  on  a  ray  of  his  own  light  to 
visit  her,  loved  her  so  much  he  would  not  that  she 
should  come  forth  from  her  house  and  be  seen  of 
men.  Therefore  he  set  an  Eagle  upon  the  house 
top  in  a  great  cage  to  watch  her.  He  was  a  very 
wise  old  Eagle.  He  could  understand  every  word 
that  the  people  said.  And  he  it  was  that  she  fed 
and  watered  from  day  to  day.  Now,  the  dancers 
in  the  ceremonial  chamber  asked  :  "  What  shall  we 
do?" 

"Why,  let  us  dance  again,"  said  the  chief  of  the 
dances,  "  and  if  we  do  not  succeed,  yet  again." 
They  did  as  he  said,  but  with  no  better  success 
than  before  ;  so  at  last  the  two  Warrior  Priests  of 
the  Bow  grew  angry,  and  although  they  were  the 
girl's  father's  own  warriors,  they  ordered  the  War 
rior  festival,  or  tiinahe  dance.  "  Surely,"  said 
they,  "  she  will  come  forth,  and  if  not,  let  her 
perish,  for  how  can  she  refuse  the  delight  of  the 
great  &inahe,  where  each  young  man  dances  and 
masks  himself  according  to  his  fancy  ?  " 

So,  one  night  the  two  warriors  went  out  and 
called  to  the  people  to  make  ready  and  be  happy, 
for  in  four  days  they  should  dance  the  Oinahe. 
When  they  had  done  calling,  they  descended,  and 
the  people  said  to  one  another  :  "  Surely  she  will 
come  out  when  we  dance  the  6inahe,  for  she  will 
be  delighted  with  it,  and  we  shall  yet  see  her. 
She  was  very  beautiful  when  she  was  a  little  girl." 


432  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

Then  both  of  the  warriors  climbed  to  the  top 
of  Thunder  Mountain,  where  Ahaiyuta  and  his 
brother,  Matsailema,  the  Gods  of  War,  and  their 
grandmother  lived  in  the  middle  of  the  summit. 
As  they  approached  the  presence  of  the  two  gods, 
they  exclaimed  :  "  She-e  !  " 

"  Hai!  "  the  gods  replied. 

"  Our  fathers,  how  is  it  that  ye  are,  these  many 
days  ?  "  they  asked,  and  the  Twain  replied  :  "  We 
are  happy.  Come  in  ;  sit  down  "  ;  and  they  placed 
a  couple  of  stools  for  the  warriors.  "  What  is  it 
that  ye  would  of  us  ?  "  they  continued  ;  "  for  it 
would  be  strange  if  ye  came  up  to  our  house  for 
nothing." 

"  True  it  is,"  replied  the  warriors.  "  It  is  in  our 
hearts  as  your  two  chosen  children — as  the  war- 
priests  of  our  nation — that  our  people  should  be 
made  happy  as  the  days  of  the  year  go  by ;  and 
we  therefore  think  over  all  the  beautiful  dances, 
and  now  and  then  command  that  the  most  fitting 
of  them  shall  appear.  Now,  our  children,  the 
people  of  the  Home  of  the  Eagles,  are  anxious  to 
see  our  child,  the  daughter  of  the  priest-chief,  who 
has  not  come  forth  from  her  house,  and  whom  we 
have  never  seen  since  she  was  a  little  girl.  We  have 
thought  to  order  your  dance  of  the  dinahe,  and 
we  would  that  without  fail  our  daughter  should 
be  made  to  come  forth  or  else  die  ;  therefore,  our 
fathers,  we  have  come  to  consult  ye  and  to  ask 
your  advice." 

"  Aha ! "  cried  the  Twain.  "  Then  ye  are 
anxious  that  this  should  be,  are  ye  ?  " 


The  Maiden  and  the  Sun  433 

"  Yes,"  they  replied. 

"  Well,  it  shall  come  to  pass  as  ye  wish  it,  and 
the  girl  must  die  if  she  come  not  forth  at  the  bid 
ding  of  the  &inahe  !  " 

"  Aha  ! "  ejaculated  they  both.     "  Thanks  ! " 

"  Yea,  it  shall  be  as  ye  wish.  Make  our  days 
for  us — name  the  times  for  preparation,  and  we 
shall  be  with  ye  to  lead  the  Oinahe.  The  first 
time  our  dance  will  come  forth,  and  the  second 
time  our  dance  will  come  forth,  and  the  third  time 
our  dance  will  come  forth,  but  the  fourth  time 
our  dance  comes  forth,  it  will  happen  as  ye  wish 
it.  It  will  certainly  be  finished  as  ye  wish  it. 

"  Well  !     Thanks  ;  we  go  ! "  (good-by). 

"  Go  ye,"  said  the  gods  to  their  children ;  and 
they  went. 

The  Eagle  was  very  unhappy  with  all  this.  He 
knew  it  all,  for  he  understood  everything  that  was 
said.  Next  morning  he  hung  his  head  at  the 
window  with  great  sadness ;  so  the  girl,  after  she 
had  eaten  her  morning  meal,  took  some  dainty 
bits  to  the  window  and  said  :  "  Why  are  you  so 
unhappy  ?  See,  I  have  brought  you  some  food. 
Eat  !  " 

"  I  will  not  eat  ;  I  cannot  eat,"  replied  the  Eagle. 

"  Why  not  ?  "  asked  she.  "  I  will  not  harm 
you  ;  I  am  happy  ;  I  love  you  just  as  much  as 
ever." 

"  Alas,  alas  !  my  mother,"  said  the  Eagle.  "It 
is  not  with  thoughts  of  myself  that  I  am  unhappy, 
but  your  father's  two  war-priests  are  anxious 

that  their  children  shall  be  made  happy,   and  their 

28 


434  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

children,  the  people  of  our  town  under  the 
mountain,  are  longing  to  see  you.  They  have  said 
to  one  another  that  you  never  come  forth  ;  they 
have  never  seen  you.  Therefore  they  have  or 
dered  the  Oinahe,  that  you  may  be  tempted  out. 
They  went  up  to  the  home  of  Ahaiyuta  and  his 
younger  brother,  where  they  live  with  their  grand 
mother,  on  the  top  of  Thunder  Mountain,  and  the 
two  gods  have  said  to  them:  "  It  shall  come  to 
pass  as  ye  wish  it."  Therefore  they  will  dance, 
and  on  the  fourth  day  of  their  dancing  it  shall 
come  to  pass  as  they  wish  it.  Indeed,  it  shall  hap 
pen,  my  poor  mother,  that  you  shall  be  no  more. 
Alas  !  I  can  do  nothing  ;  you  can  do  nothing ;  why 
should  I  tarry  longer  with  you  ?  You  must  loosen 
my  bonds  and  let  me  free." 

"  As  you  like,"  said  the  girl.  "  I  suppose  it  must 
be  as  you  say."  Then  she  loosened  the  Eagle's 
bonds,  and,  straight  as  the  pathway  of  an  arrow, 
away  he  flew  upward  into  the  sky — even  toward 
the  zenith  where  the  Sun  rested  at  noon-time,  and 
whither  he  soon  arrived  himself. 

"Thou  comest,"  said  the  Sun. 

"  I  do,  my  father.  How  art  thou  these  many 
days  ?  "  said  the  Eagle  to  the  Sun. 

"  Happy.  Here,  sit  down."  There  was  a  blanket 
already  placed  for  him,  and  thereupon  he  sat  ;  but 
he  never  looked  to  the  right  nor  to  the  left,  nor  yet 
about  the  Sun-father's  splendid  home.  He  said 
not  a  word.  He  only  drooped  his  head,  so  sad 
was  he. 

"  What  is  it,  my  child  ?  "  asked  the    Sun.     "  I 


The  Maiden  and  the  Sun  435 

suppose  thou  hast  some  errand,  else  why  shouldst 
thou  come  ?  Surely  it  is  not  for  nothing  that  thou 
wouldst  come  so  far  to  see  me." 

"  Quite  true,"  answered  the  Eagle.  "  Alas  !  my 
child  ;  alas,  my  mother !  Day  after  day  down  in 
the  home  under  the  mountain  the  people  dance 
that  they  may  tempt  her  forth  ;  yet  she  has  never 
appeared.  So  her  father's  war-priests  are  angry 
and  have  at  last  been  to  see  the  Twain  in  their 
home  on  Thunder  Mountain,  and  the  Twain  have 
commanded  that  soon  it  shall  come  to  pass  as  the 
people  wish  or  that  our  beautiful  maiden  shall  per 
ish.  Even  tomorrow  it  shall  be  ;  so  have  the 
Twain  said ;  and  when  the  fourth  dance  comes  out 
it  shall  come  to  pass,  and  our  beautiful  maiden 
shall  be  no  more  ;  thus  have  the  Twain  said.  I 
cannot  enrich  my  mother,  the  daughter  of  the  priest- 
chief,  thy  beautiful  child,  with  words  of  advice,  with 
aid  of  mine  own  will ;  hence  come  I  unto  thee. 
What  shall  I  do  ?  " 

"  What  shalt  thou  do?"  repeated  the  Sun.  "  I 
know  it  is  all  as  thou  hast  said.  Know  I  not  all 
these  things  ?  The  Twain,  whose  powers  are  sur 
passed  only  by  mine  own,  have  they  not  com 
manded  that  it  shall  be  ?  What  shalt  thou  do  but 
descend  at  once  ?  Tell  her  to  bathe  herself  and 
put  on  her  finest  garments  tomorrow  morning. 
Then,  when  the  time  comes,  mount  her  upon  thy 
shoulders  and  bear  her  up  to  me.  Only  possibly 
thou  wilt  have  the  great  good  fortune  to  reach  my 
house  with  her.  Possibly  in  thy  journey  hither  it 
shall  come  to  be,  alas  !  as  the  Twain  have  said ;  for 


436  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

have  not  they  said  it  should  be,  and  are  they  not 
above  all  things  else  powerful  ?  " 

"Well,  we'll  try  to  come." 

"  But  I  will  watch  thee  when  thou  art  about  to 
reach  the  mid-heavens." 

"  Well,  I  go,"  said  the  Eagle,  rising. 

"  Very  well,"  responded  the  Sun  ;  "  happily  may- 
est  thou  journey."  And  the  Eagle  began  to  de 
scend. 

Meanwhile  the  daughter  of  the  priest-chief 
opened  the  sky-hole  and  placed  a  sacred  medicine- 
bowl  half  full  of  water  on  the  floor  where  the  sun 
light  would  shine  into  it,  and  where  it  would  reflect 
the  sky,  and  there  she  sat  looking  intently  down 
into  the  water.  By-and-by  the  Eagle  came  in 
sight,  and  she  saw  his  shadow  in  the  water. 

Just  then  the  Sun  drew  his  shield  from  his 
face.  Oh !  how  hot  it  was  down  there  on  the 
earth.  The  sky  was  ablaze  with  light,  and  no  one 
dared  to  look  at  it ;  and  the  sands  grew  so  hot  that 
they  burned  the  moccasins  of  those  who  walked 
upon  them.  Everybody  ran  into  the  houses,  and 
the  Eagle  spread  his  wings  and  gently  descended, 
for  he  too  was  hot.  And  when  he  came  near  to 
the  house,  the  girl  let  him  in  and  welcomed  him. 

"  Thou  comest,  father,"  said  she. 

He  only  drooped  his  head  and  flapped  his  wings, 
unable  even  to  speak,  so  hot  was  he. 

She  saw  that  he  was  near  to  fainting.  There 
fore  she  fanned  him — made  cool  wind  for  him  with 
the  basket  tray  and  her  mantle — and  sprinkled  cold 
water  upon  his  head. 


The  Maiden  and  the  Sun  437 

"Thou  hast  been  to  the  home  of  our  father?" 
she  asked,  when  he  had  recovered. 

"  Yes,"  replied  the  Eagle. 

"What  has  he  advised  that  we  should  do?" 
asked  she. 

"  This,"  said  the  Eagle  ;  "  tomorrow  morning  at 
the  dawn  of  day  thou  wilt  arise  and  bathe  thyself. 
Then  at  sunrise  thou  shalt  put  on  thy  finest  gar 
ments.  The  dance  will  come  forth ;  and  then  it 
will  come  forth  the  second  time,  and  the  third  time, 
and  again  it  will  come  the  fourth  time.  Then  I 
will  mount  thee  upon  my  shoulders  and  bear  thee 
away  toward  the  Sun,  who  will  be  waiting  for  us. 
It  may  be  that  we  shall  have  the  good  fortune  to 
reach  his  home ;  and  it  may  be  that  we  shall  get 
only  a  little  way  when  everything  shall  come  to 
pass  unhappily  and  thou  wilt  be  no  more."  That 
is  what  he  said  to  her. 

It  grew  night.  The  girl  collected  all  the  basket- 
trays  that  she  had  made  for  her  father's  sacred 
plumes  ;  these  by  the  fire-light  she  spread  out,  and 
then  began  to  divide  them  into  different  heaps. 

Now,  her  parents,  who  were  sitting  in  the  next 
room,  heard  her  until  it  was  late  at  night,  and  they 
said  to  each  other  :  "  Wonder  what  it  is  that  keeps 
our  daughter  up  ? "  So  the  old  priest-chief  arose 
and  entered  her  room. 

"  My  child,  art  thou  not  at  rest  yet  ?  "  asked  he. 

"  No,"  replied  she.  "  I  am  dividing  the  trays  I 
have  made  for  thee.  "  These,"  said  she,  pointing 
to  a  heap  of  yellow  ones,  "  shall  pertain  to  the 
north-land  ;  these,  the  blue,  to  the  west-land  ;  the 


438  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

red  to  the  land  of  the  south,  the  white  to  the  east, 
the  variegated  to  the  upper  regions,  and  the  black 
to  the  regions  below.  For  tomorrow,  beloved 
father,  thou  shalt  see  me  no  more." 

"It  is  well,"  said  the  father,  for  he  was  a  great 
priest  and  knew  the  will  of  the  gods,  and  to  this  he 
always  said  :  "  It  is  well.  What,  therefore,  should 
I  say  ?  "  So  the  old  man  left  her. 

Then  as  morning  approached  she  bathed  herself. 
And  the  Eagle,  looking  down,  said  :  "  My  child,  my 
mother,  lie  down  and  rest  thyself,  for  we  are  about 
to  undertake  a  long  journey.  Never  fear ;  I  will 
wake  thee  at  the  right  time."  So  she  lay  down 
and  slept.  The  Eagle  perched  himself  above  her 
and  watched  for  the  dawn. 

By-and-by  the  great  star  arose.  Then  he  knew 
that  the  Sun  would  soon  follow  it,  and  he  said  : 
"  Mother,  arise  !  dress  thyself,  for  the  time  is  near 
at  hand." 

Outside  on  the  house-tops  called  the  two  war- 
priests  to  their  children  : 

"  Hasten,  hasten  !     Prepare  for  the  dance  ! 
Hasten,  hasten  !     Eat  for  the  dance  ! 
Hasten,  hasten,  our  children  all !  " 

Then  the  girl  went  into  another  room  and 
brought  forth  her  finest  dresses,  and  these,  gar 
ment  after  garment,  she  put  on — not  one  dress, 
but  many.  Upon  her  shoulders  she  placed  four 
mantles  of  snow-white  embroidered  cotton.  Then 
she  said  to  the  Eagle  :  "  Wait  a  moment ;  I  have 
yet  to  think  of  our  children  in  the  Home  of  the 


The  Maiden  and  the  Sun  439 

Eagles."  Therefore  she  brought  forth  her  basket- 
bowls  of  fine  meal  with  which  she  had  been  accus 
tomed  to  powder  her  face.  There  was  meal  of  the 
yellow  corn,  the  blue  corn-meal,  the  red  corn-meal, 
the  white  corn-meal,  the  speckled  corn-meal,  and 
the  black  corn-meal.  u  See,"  said  she,  as  she  re 
garded  the  various  vessels  of  meal ;  "my  children, 
by  means  of  these  shall  ye  beautify  flesh ;  by 
means  of  these  be  precious  against  evil ;  by  means 
of  these  shall  ye  finish  preciously  your  roads  of 
life.  I  am  to  be  no  more.  Far  off  and  to  an 
unknown  region  go  I.  Possibly  I  may  reach  it, 
and  live  ;  probably  not  reach  it,  and  die.  These 
do  I  leave  as  your  inheritance.  My  children, 
good-by."1 

Then  the  Eagle  descended.  The  drum  began 
to  sound  outside ;  the  dance  was  coming — for  the 
first  time,  mind  you,  not  the  fourth.  Then  said 
the  Eagle,  as  he  lowered  himself :  "  Place  thyself 
upon  my  back;  grasp  me  by  the  shoulders."  And 
the  girl  did  as  she  was  bidden.  She  reclined  her 
self  lengthwise  on  the  back  of  the  Eagle,  and 
grasped  with  her  left  hand  his  shoulders.  "  Now, 
place  one  foot  on  one  of  my  thighs  and  the  other 
on  the  other."  She  placed  one  foot  on  one  of  his 
thighs  and  the  other  on  the  other ;  and  the  Eagle 
spread  his  tail  and  raised  it  that  she  might  not  fall 
off.  "All  ready?"  asked  he,  as  the  drum  of  the 
coming  dance  sounded  outside. 

"  Yes,"  said  the  girl ;  and  they  arose. 

"  Open    the    wicket ! "    and   shoa !    the    Eagle 

1  The  maiden  here  addresses  mankind  generally. 


440  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

spread  his  wings  and  away  off  up  into  the  sky  he 
sprang  with  the  maiden.  Round  and  round, 
round  and  round,  they  circled  in  the  sky,  but  those 
below  saw  nothing  as  they  danced  in  the  shadows 
of  the  great  houses.  The  dancers  retired.  Then 
they  came  forth  again.  Again  they  retired  and 
came  forth.  Then  the  girl  said  :  "  Father,  slower. 
Let  me  sing  a  farewell  song  to  my  people,  my 
children  of  Earth,  that  they  may  know  I  am 
going." 

The  Eagle  spread  his  wings  and  sailed  gently 
through  the  air  as  the  maiden  sang.  Then  the 
people  in  the  plaza  below  heard  the  song,  and 
said:  "  Alas,  alas!  ye  Twain!"  said  they  to  the 
two  gods  who  led  the  dance.  "  Our  mother,  our 
child,  away  off  through  the  skies  goes  she  !  Ye 

are  fools  that  ye  have  let  her  escape  and  deceive 

t " 
us  ! 

Some  listened  to  the  song  and  learned  it. 
Others  did  not.  For  the  third  time  the  dancers 
came  forth.  "  Once  more  have  we  to  dance,"  said 
the  two  gods.  "  Where  are  they  now  ?  " 

"  In  the  mid-heavens,"  said  the  people. 

"  Take  it  easily,  my  child,"  said  the  Eagle. 
"  Once  more  are  they  to  come  forth.  Possibly  we 
will  yet  have  the  great  good  fortune  to  reach  the 
home  of  our  father."  And  they  sped  along  through 
the  air,  nearer  and  nearer  to  the  home  of  the  Sun- 
father,  while  the  dancers  below  danced  harder  and 
harder — many  so  joyful  that  they  listened  not  to 
the  complainings  of  the  people  around,  but  danced 
only  more  vigorously. 


The  Maiden  and  the  Sun  441 

Then  the  dancers  retired  and  came  out  for  the 
fourth  and  last  time.  In  the  van  danced  the  two 
gods,  their  faces  blackened  with  the  paint  of  war, 
their  hands  bearing  bows  and  arrows  with  which  to 
destroy  the  daughter  of  the  priest-chief. 

Yes,  they  were  almost  there.  Now,  the  Eagle's 
heart  was  high  with  hope.  When  the  two  gods 
below  reached  the  center  of  the  plaza  they  turned 
to  the  people  and  asked  :  "  Where  are  they  ? 
Where  have  they  gone  ?  " 

"  There  they  are  in  the  skies — almost  there,"  re 
plied  the  people. 

"Humph!"  responded  the  gods.  "Suppose 
they  are  almost  there  ;  they  shall  never  reach  the 
home  of  our  father  !  " 

"  Now,  then,  hurry,  brother  younger  !  "  exclaimed 
the  elder;  "with  which  hand  wilt  thou  draw  the 
arrow  ?  " 

"  With  thy  hand,  my  right,"  said  the  younger. 

"  Very  well ;  with  thy  hand,  my  left,"  said  the 
elder.1 

So  they  drew  their  medicine-pointed  arrows  to 
the  heads.  Tsi-ni-i-i  /  sang  the  arrows  as  they  shot 
through  the  air.  Soon  they  reached  the  home  of 
the  Sun,  crossed  one  another  over  his  face,  and  shot 
downward  more  swiftly  than  ever  toward  the  com 
ing  Eagle  and  the  maiden.  "  Alas  !  my  mother,  my 
child,"  said  the  Sun  as  the  arrows  flew  past  him  and 

1  The  twin  children  of  the  Sun  were,  in  the  days  of  creation,  the  benignant 
guardians  of  men  ;  but  when  the  world  became,  filled  with  envy  and  war, 
they  were  changed  by  the  eight  gods  of  the  storms  into  warriors  more 
powerful  than  all  monsters,  gods,  or  men.  The  elder  one  was  right-handed, 
the  younger,  left-handed  ;  hence  the  form  of  expression  here  used. 


442  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

from  him,  "thou  art  no  more."  And  the  arrows 
shot  downward  on  their  course. 

Tsook  !  sang  the  arrow  of  the  elder  god  as  it 
pierced  the  back  of  the  girl  and  entered  her  heart. 
Tso-ko  !  sang  the  arrow  of  the  younger  as  it  struck 
in  the  middle  of  her  back. 

"  Alas  !  my  mother,  my  mother,"  cried  the  Eagle, 
"  it  is  over,  alas,  alas  ! "  said  he,  as  she  released  her 
hold,  and,  fainting,  he  left  her  to  fall  through  the 
air.  Over  and  over,  this  way  and  that,  fell  the 
beautiful  maiden  ;  and  as  the  people  strained  their 
eyes,  nearer  and  nearer  to  the  town  neath  the  moun 
tain  she  fell.  Soon,  over  and  over,  this  way  and 
that,  she  came  falling  even  with  the  top  of  the 
mountain. 

Then  the  people  rushed  past  one  another  out  of 
the  plaza  toward  the  place  where  they  thought  she 
would  strike.  And  just  over  there  below  the  Home 
of  the  Eagles,  where  the  Waters  of  the  Coyote  gush 
forth  from  the  cliff-base,  fell  the  beautiful  maiden. 

Then  there  were  born  twin  children — two  wee 
infants  who  rolled  off  into  the  rubbish  and  were 
concealed  under  sticks  and  stones. 

Down  rushed  the  people,  and  an  Acoma  specta 
tor  seized  her  body.  "Mine!"  cried  he,  trium 
phantly,  as  he  raised  the  body  above  him. 

"  Thine  ! "  cried  the  people,  for  they  had  lost  the 
beautiful  maiden. 

"  Ours  ! "  cried  the  Acomas,  one  to  another,  who 
had  come  to  witness  the  dances.  "  Great  good  for 
tune  this  day  has  smiled  on  us."  And  they  bore 
her  body  away  to  their  pueblo  in  the  east. 


The  Maiden  and  the  Sun  443 

Now,  under  the  other  end  of  Thunder  Mountain 
was  the  home  of  the  Badgers,  and  an  old  Badger 
who  lived  there  was  out  hunting.  After  the  people 
had  again  gathered  in  the  city,  he  passed  near  the 
Waters  of  the  Coyote  and  heard  the  voices  of  the 
infants  crying  among  the  rubbish. 

"  Ah  !  "  said  he,  "  I  hear  the  cry  of  children.  My 
little  boys,  my  little  girls,"  cried  he,  "  whichever  ye 
may  be  "  ;  and  he  hastily  searched  and  found  them 
where  they  were  rolling  about  and  crying  among 
the  refuse.  "  Twins  !"  cried  he.  "  Boys  !  Some 
body  has  left  them  here.  Soon  he  will  come  back 
to  reclaim  them.  Let  me  walk  away  for  a  few 
moments." 

So  he  walked  all  around,  but  found  no  traces  of 
the  parents,  only  the  tracks  of  many  men  who  had 
gathered  near. 

"  Mine  ! "  said  he,  as  he  trotted  back  ;  and  with 
soft  grass  he  rubbed  them  till  they  were  free  from 
the  mud  and  refuse.  "  Thanks,  thanks  !  Splendid  ! 
Children  have  I,  and  boys  at  that,  and  when  I  am 
older  grown  they  will  take  from  me  the  cares  of  the 
chase.  Goodness  !  Thanks  !  Nothing  but  boys  shall 
be  my  children  ! "  So  he  rubbed  them  dry  and 
clean  with  more  soft  grass,  and  they  stopped  crying. 
Then  he  took  some  dry  grass  and  made  a  bundle 
and  put  them  in  it,  and  started  off  for  his  home  in 
the  Red  Hills. 

The  old  Badger-woman  was  up  on  top  of  their 
house  looking  around,  running  back  and  forth  and 
jumping  in  and  out  of  her  doorway.  "  Hai ! "  said 
she  ;  "  thou  comest  ?  " 


444  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

"Yes,  hurry!"  said  the  old  Badger.  "  Come 
down  and  meet  me." 

"  What  have  you  ?"  asked  the  Badger-woman,  as 
she  ran  down  to  meet  him. 

"What  have  I,"  said  the  old  Badger,  "but  a 
couple  of  wee  little  children  !  Here,  take  them 
and  carry  them  up  to  the  house." 

So  the  old  woman  took  the  bundle  of  grass  and 
opened  it  and  began  to  fondle  the  children.  "  O 
my  poor  little  children  ;  poor  little  babes  ! "  said  she. 

"  Ah  !  stop  playing  with  them  and  hurry  along  !  " 
commanded  the  old  Badger. 

So  the  old  woman  hurried  up  to  their  doorway 
as  fast  as  possible  and  ran  in.  The  old  Badger  fol 
lowed,  and  she  said  to  him  :  "  Where  in  the  world 
did  you  get  these  little  children  ?  " 

"  Why,"  replied  he,  "  I  had  the  greatest  luck  in 
the  world.  I  was  out  hunting,  you  know,  and  found 
these  two  little  fellows  down  in  Coyote  Canon,  just 
this  side  of  those  men's  houses.  They  're  boys,  both 
of  them.  When  they  grow  up,  old  wife,  perhaps 
they  can  hunt  for  us,  and  then  I  shall  rest  myself 
from  the  labors  of  the  hunt,  with  plenty  of  meat  for 
you  and  me  every  day  of  the  year.  What  are  you 
standing  there  for  ?  "  said  he.  "  Why  don't  you  go 
and  get  them  something  to  eat  and  make  them  a 
bed?" 

"  Oh,  yes  ! "  responded  the  old  woman.  "  My  poor 
little  children  ! "  So  she  made  a  little  nest  at  the 
bottom  of  the  hole  and  laid  them  on  it.  Then  she 
ran  and  fetched  some  green-corn  ears  and,  picking 
the  kernels  off,  made  some  gruel  of  them,  and  fed 


The  Maiden  and  the  Sun  445 

the  little  fellows.  So  the  boy  babies  ate  till  they 
kicked  their  heels  with  satisfaction,  and  that  night 
the  old  Badger-mother  took  one  in  her  arms  and 
slept  with  it,  and  the  old  Badger-father  slept  with 
the  other. 

Now,  every  day  they  grew  as  much  as  the  chil 
dren  of  men  do  in  a  year,  so  that  in  eight  days  they 
were  as  large  and  knew  as  much  as  children  usually 
do  in  eight  years.  There  was  no  little  animal  that 
they  could  not  kill  unfailingly,  for  they  were  the 
children  of  the  Sun,  you  know.  But,  alas !  they 
grew  weary  of  killing  birds  around  their  doorway, 
and  their  old  father  kept  telling  them  every  morning 
never  to  go  out  of  sight  of  their  house  ;  and  the  old 
woman  kept  watching  them  always  for  fear  that  they 
would  run  off  and  get  lost,  or  somebody  would  find 
and  claim  them.  Yes,  they  grew  impatient  of  this. 
They  wanted  to  kill  prairie-dogs  and  cottontails,  but 
they  could  not  get  near  enough  to  them.  So  one 
night  when  the  old  Badger  came  home  they  said 
to  him  :  "  Father,  come  now  ;  do  make  us  some  bows 
and  arrows  so  that  we  can  hunt  rabbits,  and  you 
and  mother  can  have  all  that  you  want  to  eat." 

"  All  right,"  replied  the  old  man.  And  the  next 
day  he  went  off  to  the  Canon  of  the  Woods,  and 
somehow  he  managed  to  cut  down  a  small  oak  and 
get  a  lot  of  branches  for  arrows.  He  brought  these 
home,  and  that  night  with  a  piece  of  flint,  little  by 
little  he  managed  to  make  each  of  the  boys  a  bow 
and  some  arrows.  But  when  he  tried  to  put  feath 
ers  on  the  arrows  he  was  very  awkward  (for  you 
know  badgers  don't  have  fingers  like  men),  so  he 


446  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

had  to  take  a  single  feather  for  each  arrow  and  split 
it  and  twist  it  around  the  butt  of  the  shaft.  That 
very  night,  do  you  know,  it  snowed ;  yes,  a  great 
deal  of  snow  fell,  and  the  little  fellows  looked  out 
and  said  to  each  other  and  to  the  old  Badgers : 
"  Now  then,  tomorrow  we  will  go  rabbit-hunting." 

"  O  mother,  make  a  lunch  for  us ! "  they  ex 
claimed. 

"  Where  are  you  going?"  asked  the  old  woman. 

"  We  are  going  out  among  the  hills  and  down  on 
the  plains  where  the  trees  grow,  to  hunt  rabbits." 

"O  my  poor  little  boys!  What  will  you  do? 
— you  will  freeze  to  death,  for  you  have  no  clothes 
and  no  wool  grows  on  your  backs." 

"  Well,  mother,  we  're  tough.  We  will  get  up  to 
morrow  and  wait  until  the  sun  shines  warm — then 
we  can  go  hunting." 

"  How  in  the  world  will  you  carry  your  food  ? 
You  have  no  blanket  to  wrap  it  in." 

"  Oh,  you  just  make  some  corn-cakes,  "  answered 
the  boys,  "  and  string  them  on  a  little  stick,  and 
we  can  take  hold  of  the  middle  of  the  stick  and 
carry  them  just  as  well  as  not." 

Hi-ta  !  "  cried  the  old  woman.  "  Listen,  father." 
So  she  made  the  corn-cakes  and  strung  them  on 
little  sticks,  and  the  two  boys  went  to  bed.  But 
they  could  n't  sleep  very  well,  being  so  impatient  to 
go  hunting  rabbits,  and  they  kept  waking  each 
other  and  peeping  out  to  see  how  long  it  would  be 
before  daylight. 

In  the  morning  the  old  Badger  got  up  early  and 
collected  a  lot  of  bark  which  he  rubbed  until  it 


The  Maiden  and  the  Sun  447 

was  soft,  and  then  he  wove  the  boys  each  a  curious 
pair  of  moccasins  that  would  come  half-way  up  to 
the  knees.  So  the  elder  brother  put  on  his  moc 
casins  and  ran  out  into  the  snow.  "  U-kwatchi  !  " 
exclaimed  he.  "  First  rate  ! "  So  the  other  little 
boy  put  on  his  bark  moccasins,  and  they  took  their 
strings  of  corn-cakes  and  bows  and  arrows,  and 
started  off  as  fast  as  they  could.  Well,  they  went 
off  among  the  hills  at  the  foot  of  Thunder  Moun 
tain.  It  was  only  a  little  while  ere  they  struck  a  rab 
bit  trail,  and  the  first  arrow  they  shot  killed  the 
rabbit.  So  they  kept  on  hunting  until  they  had  a 
large  number  of  rabbits  and  began  to  get  tired. 
Although  there  was  snow  on  the  ground,  the  sun 
was  very  warm,  so  they  soon  forgot  all  about  it 
until  they  began  to  grow  hungry,  and  then  they 
looked  up  and  saw  that  it  was  noon-time,  because 
the  sun  was  resting  in  the  mid-heavens.  So  they 
went  up  on  top  of  a  high  hill,  and  carried  their 
rabbits  there  one  by  one,  to  find  a  place  where 
the  snow  was  shallow.  Here  they  brushed  a 
space  clear  of  the  snow,  and,  depositing  the  rab 
bits,  sat  down  to  eat  their  corn-cakes,  which  they 
laid  on  a  bundle  of  grass.  While  they  sat  there 
eating,  the  Sun  looked  down  and  pitied  his  two 
poor  little  children.  "  Wait  a  bit,"  said  he  to  him 
self,  "I  '11  go  down  and  talk  to  the  little  fellows, 
and  help  them."  So  by  his  will  alone  he  descended, 
and  lo  !  he  stood  there  on  the  earth  just  a  little  way 
from  the  two  boys, — grand,  beautiful,  sublime. 
Upon  his  body  were  garments  of  embroidered  cot 
ton  ;  fringed  leggings  covered  his  knees,  and  he 


448  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

was  girt  with  many-colored  girdles  ;  buckskins  of 
bright  leather  protected  his  feet ;  bracelets  and 
strings  of  wampum  ornamented  his  neck  and  arms  ; 
turquoise  earrings  hung  from  his  ears  ;  beautiful 
plumes  waved  over  his  head  ;  his  long,  glossy  hair 
was  held  with  cords  of  many  colors,  into  which 
great  plumes  of  macaw  feathers  were  stuck.  Fear 
ful,  wonderful,  beautiful,  he  stood.  Suddenly  one 
of  the  boys  looked  up  and  saw  the  Sun-father 
standing  there. 

"  Blood  ! "  cried  he  to  the  other.  "  Ati!  Some 
body  's  coming  !  " 

"  Where  ?  "  asked  the  other.     "  Where  ?  " 

"  Right  over  there  !  " 

"Ati!"  he  exclaimed. 

Then  the  Sun,  with  stately  step,  approached 
them,  dazzling  their  eyes  with  his  beauty  and  his 
magnificent  dress.  So  the  poor  little  fellows  hud 
dled  together  and  crouched  their  knees  close  to 
their  bodies  (for  they  had  no  clothes  on),  and 
watched  him,  trembling,  until  he  came  near.  Then 
one  of  them  said  faintly:  "  Comest  thou?"  as 
though  he  just  remembered  it. 

44  Yea,  I  do,  my  children,"  said  the  Sun.  "  How 
are  ye  these  many  days  ?  " 

"  Happy,"  responded  they  ;  but  they  were  almost 
frightened  out  of  their  wits,  and  kept  looking  first 
at  the  Sun-father  and  then  at  each  other. 

"  My  children,"  said  the  Sun-father  tenderly, 
"ye  are  my  own  children;  I  gave  ye  both  life." 
But  they  only  gazed  at  him,  not  believing  what  he 
said. 


The  Maiden  and  the  Sun  449 

"  Ye  are  both  mine  own  children,"  he  repeated. 

"  Is  that  so  ?  "  replied  they. 

"  Yea,  that  is  true  ;  and  I  saw  ye  here,  and  pitied 
ye  ;  so  I  came  to  speak  with  ye  and  to  help  ye." 

11  Haif"  exclaimed  they.  But  they  still  looked 
at  each  other  and  at  the  Sun-father,  and  did  not 
believe  him. 

"  Yea,  ye  are  verily  my  children,"  continued  the 
Sun.  "  I  am  your  own  father.  Around  Thunder 
Mountain  there  is  a  city  of  men.  It  is  called  the 
Home  of  the  Eagles,  and  there  once  lived  a  beau 
tiful  maiden  who  never  left  her  home,  but  was 
always  shut  in  her  room.  Day  after  day  at  mid 
day,  just  at  this  time,  I  came  down  and  visited  her 
in  my  own  sunlight.  And  a  great  Eagle  always 
stood  and  watched  her.  Now,  the  townspeople 
grew  anxious  to  see  her,  so  they  danced  day  after 
day  their  most  beautiful  dances,  hoping  to  entice 
her  to  come  forth ;  but  she  never  looked  out.  So 
her  father's  warriors  went  to  the  home  of  Ahaiyuta 
and  his  younger  brother,  Matsailema,  where  they 
lived  with  their  grandmother,  on  the  middle  of 
Thunder  Mountain,  and  the  Twain  said  that  they 
would  go  with  them  and  compel  her  to  come  forth. 
Therefore,  one  day  they  went  and  led  the  dance 
of  the  Oinahe.  Yet,  although  they  danced  four 
times,  she  would  not  come  forth,  but  tried  to 
escape  to  my  home  in  the  heavens  on  the  back  of 
her  Eagle  ;  so  the  two  gods  shot  her,  and  she  fell 
down  the  canon.  Then  it  was  that  ye  two,  my 
children,  were  born  and  rolled  among  the  bushes. 
Now,  the  people  ran  down  from  the  village  to 


45°  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

strive  for  your  mother's  body,  and  an  Acoma  got 
her  and  carried  her  away  to  the  home  of  his 
people.  An  old  Badger  found  ye  and  brought  ye 
home  to  his  wife,  and  that  is  the  way  ye  came  to 
live  in  the  home  of  the  Badgers." 

Still  the  little  ones  did  not  believe  him. 

"Look!"  said  the  Sun-father.  "  See  what  I 
have  brought  ye!"  Then  he  continued:  "Wait; 
in  eight  days,  in  the  Home  of  the  Eagles,  where 
your  aunts  live  in  the  house  of  your  mother's 
father,  there  will  be  a  great  dance.  Go  ye  thither. 
Ye  will  climb  up  a  crooked  path  and  enter  the 
town  through  a  road  under  the  houses.  Do  not 
go  out  at  once  into  the  plaza,  but  wait  until  the 
dancers  come  out.  Then  step  forth,  and  over  to 
the  left  of  the  plaza  ye  will  see  your  grandfather's 
house.  It  is  the  greatest  house  in  the  city,  and 
the  longest  ladder  leads  up  to  it,  and  fringes  of 
hair  ornament  its  poles.  On  the  roof  ye  will  see, 
if  the  day  be  warm,  two  noisy  macaws,  and  there 
ye  will  see  your  mother's  sisters — your  own  aunts. 
When  ye  go  into  the  plaza  the  people  will  rush  up 
to  ye  and  say :  *  Whither  do  ye  come,  friends  ? 
Will  ye  not  join  in  the  dance  ? '  And  ye  must  say 
ye  will,  and  then  your  aunts  will  come  down  and 
dance  for  the  first  time,  because  they  are  the  most 
beautiful  maidens  in  the  pueblo,  and  very  proud. 
But  they  will  take  hold  of  your  hands  and  dance 
with  ye,  and  when  they  have  done  will  ask  ye  to 
come  into  their  house  ;  and  ye  must  go. 

"  Now,  the  one  who  sits  over  in  the  northern 
corner  is  the  first  sister  of  your  mother,  therefore 


The  Maiden  and  the  Sun  45 I 

your  mother ;  and  the  one  who  sits  next  to  her  is 
your  next  mother,  and  so  on.  There  will  be  eight 
of  them,  and  the  youngest  will  be  like  a  sister  unto 
ye.  They  will  place  stools  for  ye,  and  ye  must  sit 
down  and  call  them  aunts.  They  will  say  :  '  Cer 
tainly,  we  are  the  aunts  of  all  good  boys  in  the 
cities  of  men  who  are  not  our  enemies.'  And 
then  ye  must  tell  them  that  they  are  your  real 
aunts,  that  this  is  your  house,  that  your  mother 
used  to  live  there — was  the  maiden  who  never 
went  out,  but  always  sat  making  beautiful  basket- 
trays  of  many-colored  splints.  Then  ye  must  lead 
them  into  the  next  room,  and  the  next,  and  then 
into  the  next  one,  and  point  to  the  beautiful  bas 
ket-trays  on  the  walls.  There  on  the  northern 
wall  will  hang  a  yellow  tray,  on  the  west  wall  will 
hang  a  blue  one,  and  on  the  south  wall,  a  red  tray  , 
then  on  the  east  wall  will  hang  a  white  tray,  and 
fastened  to  the  ceiling  will  be  a  tray  of  many 
colors,  while  a  black  one  will  stand  under  the  floor. 
And  then  ye  must  point  to  the  trays  and  say  : 
'  These  our  mother  made.'  Then  they  will  believe 
and  embrace  ye  and  will  not  want  to  let  ye  go  ; 
but  after  ye  have  sat  and  eaten  with  them,  ye 
must  come  back  to  the  home  of  the  Badgers. 
And  the  next  day  ye  must  go  to  Acoma  to  get 
your  mother.  Just  before  ye  arrive  at  the  town  of 
Acoma  ye  will  meet  an  old,  wrinkled  hag  carrying 
a  big  bundle  of  wood  on  her  back.  Ye  must 
call  her  *  grandmother '  and  greet  her  pleasantly. 
She  will  tell  ye  she  is  the  dance-priestess  of 
Acoma.  Then  ye  must  ask  her  why  she,  a  woman, 


452  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

comes  out  to  gather  wood,  and  she  will  reply  that 
she  gets  the  wood  to  make  a  light.  Then  ask  her 
why  she  wishes  a  light,  and  she  will  say  to  ye  that 
day  after  day  she  lights  a  fire  in  her  ceremonial 
chamber  and  that  when  she  reaches  home  with  her 
wood  the  young  men  of  her  clan  come  together 
and  give  her  food,  and  that  at  night  she  takes  the 
wood  to  the  ceremonial  chamber  and  then  sits  on 
a  stone  seat  by  the  side  of  the  fireplace  and  builds 
a  fire  ;  that  the  young  men  gather  in  the  chamber 
and  prepare  for  a  dance.  And  when  they  are  ready 
she  takes  the  bones  of  your  mother  from  a  niche  in 
the  west  end  of  the  chamber  and  distributes  them 
among  the  young  men,  who  carry  them  in  the  dance. 
She  gives  the  skull  to  the  first  one,  the  breast-bone 
to  the  next,  the  ribs  to  another,  and  so  on  until  they 
all  have  bones  to  carry  in  the  dance.  When  the 
dance  is  over,  she  goes  around  and  takes  all  the 
bones  back  again  and  replaces  them  in  the  niche. 
Then  the  young  men  depart  for  their  homes,  but 
some  of  them  sleep  there  in  the  chamber,  and  then 
she  lies  down  to  sleep  and  to  keep  guard  over  the 
bones. 

"  Now,  when  she  has  told  ye  these  things,  ye 
must  ask  her  if  that  is  all.  If  she  says  '  Yes,'  kill 
her ;  then  skin  her,  and  the  younger  brother  must 
wave  his  hands  over  her  skin  and  put  it  on,  and 
he  will  look  just  like  the  old  woman.  And  he 
must  climb  up  to  the  town  of  the  Acomas  and 
enter  and  do  just  as  the  old  woman  said  that  she 
did. 

"  Now,  after  the  dance  is  over  and  he  has  taken 


The  Maiden  and  the  Sun  453 

back  all  of  the  bones  and  replaced  them  in  the 
niche,  he  must  lie  down  and  pretend  to  sleep,  and 
some  of  the  young  men  will  go  home  ;  others  will 
sleep  there.  When  they  all  begin  to  snore,  he  must 
gather  all  the  bones,  and  the  two  dried  eyes,  and 
the  heart  of  his  mother,  and  bring  them  away  as 
fast  as  ever  he  can  to  where  his  brother  waits. 
And  when  he  gets  there, — lo !  she  will  come  to  life 
again  and  be  just  as  she  was  before  she  was  killed 
by  the  Twain.  Now,  mind,  ye  must  not  leave  a 
single  bone  nor  any  part,  for  if  ye  do,  your 
mother  will  lack  that  when  she  comes  to  life 
again." 

"Very  well,"  replied  the  boys,  "we  will  do  as 
you  have  told  us  ;  certainly  we  will." 

"  Now,  I  have  given  ye  with  your  birth  the 
power  to  slay  all  game  ;  but  mind  that  not  a  single 
rabbit,  nor  deer,  nor  antelope,  nor  mountain  sheep, 
nor  elk — though  he  be  the  finest  ye  have  ever 
seen — shall  ye  slay,  for  in  that  case  ye  shall  perish 
with  your  mother." 

So  the  two  boys  promised  they  would  not. 
"  Of  course  we  will  not,"  said  the  younger  brother. 
"  When  one's  father  commands  him,  can  he 
disobey  ? " 

"  Come  hither,"  said  the  Sun-father  to  the 
younger  brother.  "Stand  here."  So  the  little 
boy  did  as  he  was  bidden. 

"  Lift  up  thy  foot."  Then  the  Sun-father  drew 
off  the  moccasin  of  bark  and  put  beautiful  fringed 
leggings  upon  it,  and  replaced  the  bark  moccasins 
with  buskins  like  his  own,  and  tied  up  the  leggings 


454  Zufii  Folk  Tales 

with  many-colored  garters,  and  dressed  him  as  he 
was  dressed,  and  placed  a  beautiful  quiver  upon 
his  back.  But  the  poor  little  boys  were  dark- 
colored,  and  their  hair  was  tangled  and  matted 
over  their  heads.  Then  the  Sun-father  turned 
himself  about  as  if  to  summon  some  unseen  mes 
senger,  and  created  a  great  warm  cloud  of  mist, 
with  which  he  cleansed  the  boys,  and  lo  !  their 
skins  became  smooth  and  clear,  and  their  hair  fell 
down  their  backs  in  wavy  masses.  Then  the  Sun- 
father  arranged  the  younger  brother's  hair  and 
placed  a  plume  therein  like  his  own,  and  beautiful 
plumes  on  his  head. 

"  There,"  said  he  to  the  elder;  "look  at  thy 
younger  brother."  But  the  poor  little  fellow  was 
covered  with  shame,  and  dared  only  steal  glances 
at  his  brother  and  the  Sun-father.  Then  the  Sun- 
father  dressed  the  other  like  the  first. 

"TV/"  exclaimed  they,  as  they  looked  at  each 
other  and  at  the  Sun-father. 

"You  are  just  like  Him,"  they  said  to  each 
other.  But  still  they  did  not  call  him  father. 
Then  they  fell  to  conversing. 

"  Why ;  he  must  be  our  father ! "  said  they  to 
each  other.  "  Mother's  face  has  a  black  streak 
right  down  the  middle  of  it,  and  father's  face  is 
just  like  it,  except  that  his  chin  is  grizzly."  Then 
they  knew  that  the  Sun  was  their  father,  and  they 
thanked  him  for  his  goodness. 

Then  said  the  Sun-father  to  them  :  "  Mind  what 
I  have  told  ye,  my  children.  I  must  go  to  my 
home  in  the  heavens.  Happy  may  ye  always  be. 


The  Maiden  and  the  Sun  455 

Ye  are  my  children  ;  I  love  ye,  and  therefore  I 
came  to  help  ye.  Run  home,  now,  for  your 
father  and  mother  who  reared  ye — the  Badgers- 
are  awaiting  your  coming.  They  will  not  know 
ye,  so  ye  must  roll  up  your  bark  moccasins  and 
take  along  your  strings  of  corn-cakes  together  with 
the  rabbits  ye  have  slain." 

"How  can  we  carry  them?  "asked  they;  "  for 
they  are  heavy." 

Then  the  Sun-father  turned  about  and  passed 
his  hands  gently  over  the  heap  of  dead  rabbits. 
"  Lift  them  now,"  said  he  to  the  children ;  and 
when  they  tried  to  lift  them,  lo !  they  were  as 
light  as  dry  grass-stalks.  So  they  bade  their 
father  farewell  and  started  home.  When  they 
had  gone  a  little  way  they  stopped  to  look  around, 
but  their  father  was  nowhere  to  be  seen. 

Sure  enough,  when  they  neared  home  there  were 
the  two  old  Badgers  running  around  their  hole, 
and  the  old  Badger-father  was  just  getting  ready 
to  go  out  and  search,  for  fear  that  they  had  per 
ished  from  cold.  He  had  just  gone  down  to  get 
some'  rabbit-skins  and  other  things  with  which  to 
wrap  them,  when  the  old  woman,  who  was  up 
above,  shouted  down  :  "  Hurry,  come  out !  Some 
body  is  coming  !  " 

"  Look  !  "  said  one  of  the  children  to  the  other. 
"  There  's  our  poor  mother  waiting  for  us.  Hurry 
up  !  Let 's  run,  or  else  our  father  will  come  out 
searching  for  us." 

As  they  approached  they  called  out  :  "  Poor 
mother,  here  you  are  in  the  cold  waiting  for  us." 


456  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

But  she  did  not  recognize  them,  and  only  hid  her 
face  in  her  paws  from  shame,  for  they  were  too 
beautiful  to  look  upon — just  like  the  Sun-father. 

"  Don't  you  know  us,  mother  ?  "  asked  the  Two 
to  the  old  woman  just  as  the  old  Badger  came  out. 

"  No  !  "  answered  she. 

"  Why,  we  are  your  children  !  " 

"  Ah  !  my  children  did  not  look  like  you  ! " 

"  We  are  they  !  Look  here  !  "  said  they,  and  they 
showed  the  bark  moccasins  and  the  strings  of  corn- 
cakes. 

"  Our  poor  children  !  " 

"  Yes,  our  father  is  no  other  than  the  Sun-father, 
and  he  came  down  to  speak  to  us  today,  and  he 
dressed  us  as  you  see,  just  like  himself,  and  he  said 
that  our  mother  used  to  live  over  in  the  Home 
of  the  Eagles,  that  our  aunts  still  live  there,  and 
our  grandfather,  and  that  our  mother  used  to  live 
there,  but  the  Twain  killed  her  as  she  was  trying 
to  escape  on  the  back  of  an  Eagle.  And  when  she 
fell  into  the  Canon  of  the  Coyote  we  were  born, 
and  father  here  found  us  and  you  both  reared  us." 

"  Yes,  that  is  very  true,"  said  the  old  Badger. 
" 1  know  it  all  ;  and  I  know,  too,  that  there  will  be 
a  dance  at  the  Home  of  the  Eagles  in  eight  days. 
Tomorrow  there  will  be  only  seven  left,  and  when 
the  eighth  day  comes  you  will  both  go  there  to  see 
it.  Come  up  and  come  down,"  said  they. 

So  the  two  entered,  but  they  were  ill  at  ease  in 
their  clothes,  which  they  were  not  used  to.  And 
when  the  old  mother  had  placed  soft  rabbit-skins 
on  the  floor,  they  doffed  their  clothing  and  care- 


The  Maiden  and  the  Sun  457 

fully  laid  it  away.  Then  the  whole  family  ate 
their  evening  meal. 

"  Keep  count  for  us,  father,  and  when  the  time 
comes,  let  us  know,"  said  the  boys. 

So  the  days  passed  by  until  the  day  before  the 
dance,  and  that  morning  the  old  Badger  said  to 
the  Two  :  "  Tomorrow  the  dance  will  come." 

"Very  well,"  replied  they;  "let  us  go  out  and 
hunt  today,  that  you  and  mother  may  have  some 
thing  to  eat."  So  they  went  forth,  and  in  the 
evening  came  back  with  great  numbers  of  rabbits ; 
and  the  old  mother  skinned  the  rabbits  and  put 
some  of  them  to  cook  over  night,  so  that  her  chil 
dren  might  eat  before  starting  for  the  town  under 
Thunder  Mountain. 

At  sunrise  next  morning  both  dressed  themselves 
carefully,  put  on  their  plumes,  and  started  on  the 
pathway  that  leads  around  the  mountain.  They 
passed  the  village  of  K'yatik'ia  on  their  way,  and 
the  people  marvelled  greatly  at  their  beauty  and 
their  magnificent  dress.  And  so  they  followed  the 
road  through  the  Canon  of  the  Coyotes,  thence 
by  the  crooked  pathway  and  the  covered  road 
under  the  house  into  the  court  of  K'iakime.  Just 
as  the  Sun-father  had  told  them,  they  found  every 
thing  there.  There  was  the  great  house  with  the 
tall  ladder  and  the  two  macaws,  and  there  were  the 
young  maidens,  their  aunts,  sitting  on  the  house 
top. 

And  as  the  dancers  came  into  the  court  they 
stepped  forward,  and  then  it  was  that  the  people 
first  saw  and  hailed  them.  The  chief  of  the  dance 


458  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

came  forward  and  asked  them  whither  they  came 
and  if  they  would  not  join  in  the  dance.  So  they 
assented  and  came  forward  to  the  center  of  the 
plaza,  and  as  they  began  to  dance,  the  young  girls 
arose  and  the  dance  chiefs  went  and  escorted  them 
to  the  dance  plaza. 

Although  they  told  them,  "  Dance  here,"  they 
did  not  obey.  They  ran  right  over  to  where  the 
two  young  men  were  dancing,  and  took  hold  of 
their  hands  just  as  the  Sun-father  had  told  them  it 
would  come  to  pass.  And,  in  fact,  everything 
happened  just  as  he  had  said.  Yes,  they  all  ran 
down  and  grasped  the  two  boys'  hands,  and  when 
the  dance  was  over  and  they  let  go,  they  said  to 
the  two  handsome  young  strangers  :  "  Come  up  ; 
come  in." 

"  It  is  well,"  said  the  two  young  men.  So  they 
all  went  up  into  the  house  and  sat  down.  Now, 
all  these  girls  were  young,  and  they  were  very 
much  pleased  with  the  young  men.  In  fact  the 
two  youngest  were  in  love  with  them  already  ;  so 
they  smiled  and  made  themselves  very  pleasant. 
Then  the  first  brother  arose  and  went  over  to  the 
eldest  one,  and  said  :  "  Mother-aunt." 

"  What  is  it  ?  "  she  replied,  "  for  of  course  through 
out  the  cities  of  men  we,  as  the  daughters  of  a 
great  priest,  are  the  mothers  of  children,"-  — and 
so  on  until  they  came  to  the  last  and  youngest  one, 
whom  they  called  "  little  mother-aunt,"  and  she 
also  replied  that,  however  young  they  might  be, 
still  they  might  be  counted  the  mothers  of  the 
children  of  men. 


The  Maiden  and  the  Sun  459 

"  No,  verily,  ye  are  our  parents,"  replied  the 
Twain.  "  Beyond  this  room  is  another,  and  beyond 
that  another,  and  beyond  that  yet  another  where 
lived  our  mother,  who  never  went  forth  from  her 
house,  but  sat  day  after  day  making  sacred  trays. 
And  there  even  now,  according  to  the  colors  of 
the  parts  of  the  world  hang  her  trays  on  the  wall." 

And  so,  as  the  Sun  had  told  them,  they  finished 
their  story.  Then  the  people  were  convinced,  and 
sent  for  the  grandfather,  the  great  priest-chief, 
and  when  he  came  they  all  embraced  their  new 
children,  admiring  greatly  their  straight,  smooth 
limbs  and  abundant  hair.  Then  the  grandfather 
dressed  them  in  some  of  the  beautiful  ornaments 
their  mother  used  to  wear,  and  when  evening 
approached  they  feasted  them.  And  after  the 
meal  was  over,  as  the  Sun  was  setting,  the  two 
boys  arose  and  said,  "  We  must  go." 

"  Stay  with  us,  stay  with  us,"  the  young  girls 
and  the  grandfather  said.  "  Why  should  you  go 
away  from  your  home  ?  This  is  your  own 
home." 

"  No ;  we  said  to  our  mother  and  father,  the 
Badgers,  that  we  would  return  to  them  ;  therefore 
we  must  go,"  urged  the  boys.  So  at  last  they 
consented  and  wished  them  a  happy  journey. 

"  Fear  not,"  said  the  Two  as  they  started,  "for 
we  shall  yet  go  and  get  our  mother.  Even  tomor 
row  we  shall  go  to  Acoma  where  the  people  dance 
day  after  day  in  her  memory."  Then  they  de 
parted  and  returned  to  the  place  of  the  Badgers. 

When  they  arrived  at  home,  sure  enough,  there 


460  Zufii  Folk  Tales 

were  their  Badger-mother  and  Badger-father  await 
ing  them  outside  their  holes. 

"  Oh,  here  you  are  !  "  they  cried. 

"  Yes  ;  how  did  you  come  unto  the  evening  ? " 

"  Happily!"  replied  the  old  ones.  "  Come  in, 
come  in  !  "  So  they  entered. 

When  they  had  finished  eating,  the  elder  bro 
ther  said  :  "  Mother,  father,  look  ye  !  Tomorrow 
we  must  go  after  our  mother  to  Acoma.  Make 
us  a  luncheon,  and  we  will  start  early  in  the  morn 
ing.  We  are  swift  runners  and  shall  get  there  in 
one  day ;  and  the  next  day  we  will  start  back  ; 
and  the  next  day,  quite  early,  we  will  come  home 
again  with  our  mother." 

"  Very  well,"  replied  the  Badger-father ;  "  it  is 
well."  But  the  Badger-mother  said,  "  Oh  !  my  poor 
children,  my  poor  boys  !  " 

So,  early  next  morning,  the  Badger -mother 
rolled  up  some  sweet  corn-cakes  in  a  blanket,  for 
she  did  not  have  to  string  them  now,  and  together 
the  Twain  started  up  the  eastern  trail.  Their 
father,  the  Sun,  thought  to  help  them  ;  therefore 
he  lengthened  the  day  and  took  two  steps  only 
at  a  time,  until  the  two  boys  had  arrived  at  the 
Springs  of  the  Elks,  almost  on  the  borders  of  the 
Acoma  country.  Then,  with  his  usual  speed  jour 
neyed  the  Sun-father  toward  the  Land  of  Night ; 
and  the  two  boys  continued  until  they  arrived 
within  sight  of  the  town  of  the  Acomas — away  out 
there  on  top  of  a  mountain.  Sure  enough,  there 
was  an  old  hag  struggling  along  under  a  load  of 
wood,  and  as  the  two  brothers  came  up  to  her 


The  Maiden  and  the  Sun  461 

they  said  :  "  Ha,  grandmother,  how  are  you  these 
many  days  ?  " 

"  Happy,"  replied  the  old  woman. 

"Why  is  it  that  you,  a  woman,  and  an  old 
woman,  have  to  carry  wood  ?  " 

"  Why,  I  am  the  priestess  of  the  dance  ! "  an 
swered  the  old  woman. 

"  Priestess  of  the  dance  ?" 

"Yes." 

"What  dance?" 

"  Why,  there  once  lived  a  maiden  in  the  Town 
of  the  Eagles,  and  the  two  Gods  of  War  shot  her 
one  day  from  the  back  of  an  Eagle  who  was  trying 
to  run  away  with  her,  and  she  fell ;  and  one  of  my 
young  men  was  the  first  to  grasp  her,  therefore  we 
dance  with  her  bones  every  night." 

"  Well,  why  do  you  get  this  wood  ?  "  they  asked. 

"  I  light  the  ceremonial  chamber  with  it." 

"What  do  you  do  when  you  get  home?" 

"  Why,  the  maidens  of  my  clan  come  and  baptize 
me  and  feast  me ;  then  when  the  evening  comes  I 
go  and  light  a  fire  with  this  wood  in  the  chamber 
and  wait  until  the  young  men  gather ;  and  when 
everything  is  ready  I  go  to  a  niche  in  the  wall  and 
get  the  maiden's  bones  and  distribute  them  ;  and 
when  they  have  finished  the  dance  I  tell  them  to 
stop,  and  they  replace  the  bones." 

"  What  do  they  do  then  ?  "  asked  the  two  boys. 

"  Why,  some  of  them  go  home,  and  some  sleep 
right  there,  and  I  lie  down  and  sleep  there,  too." 

"  Is  that  all  ?  "  inquired  the  two  boys. 

"Why,  yes,  what  more  should  there  be?" 


462  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

"  Nothing  more,  except  that  I  think  we  had  bet 
ter  kill  you  now."  Thereupon  they  struck  her  to 
the  earth  and  killed  her.  Then  they  skinned  her 
like  a  bag,  and  the  elder  brother  dressed  the 
younger  in  the  skin,  as  the  Sun-father  had  di 
rected,  and  he  shouldered  the  bundle  of  wood. 

"  How  do  I  look  ?  "  asked  he. 

"Just  like  her,  for  all  the  world  ! "  responded  the 
other. 

"  All  right,"  said  he  ;  "  wait  for  me  here." 

"  Go  ahead,"  said  the  elder  brother,  and  away 
the  younger  went.  He  ran  with  all  his  might  till 
he  came  near  to  the  town,  and  then  he  began  to 
limp  along  and  labor  up  the  pathway  just  as  the 
old  woman  was  wont  to  do,  so  that  everybody 
thought  that  he  was  the  old  woman,  indeed.  And 
sure  enough  it  all  happened  just  as  the  Sun-father 
had  said  it  would.  When  the  dance  was  over, 
some  of  the  young  men  went  away  and  others  slept 
right  there.  There  were  so  many  of  them,  though, 
that  they  almost  covered  the  floor.  When  they  all 
began  to  snore,  the  young  man  arose,  threw  off  his 
disguise,  and  stepped  carefully  between  the  sleep 
ers  till  he  reached  the  niche  in  the  wall.  Then  he 
put  his  mother's  bones,  one  by  one,  into  his  blanket, 
felt  all  around  to  see  that  he  left  nothing,  and 
started  for  the  ladder.  He  reached  it  all  right  and 
took  one,  two,  three  steps ;  but  when  his  foot 
touched  the  fourth  rung  it  creaked,  and  the  sleep 
ing  dancers  awoke  and  started. 

"  Somebody  is  going  up  the  ladder ! "  they  ex 
claimed  to  one  another.  Then  the  young  man  ran 


The  Maiden  and  the  Sun  463 

up  as  fast  as  ever  he  could,  but  alas  !  he  dropped 
one  of  his  mother's  eyes  out  of  the  blanket.  He 
kept  on  running  until  he  reached  the  foot  of  the 
hill  upon  which  the  town  stood  ;  and  when  he  came 
to  the  spring  down  on  the  plains  he  stopped  to 
drink,  and  lo  !  his  mother  had  come  to  life  ! 

"  Ahwa  !  "  uttered  the  mother,  "  I  'm  tired  and 
I  don't  know  what  is  the  matter  with  my  eyes,  for 
things  don't  look  straight." 

Then  the  young  man  looked  at  his  mother.  She 
was  more  beautiful  than  all  the  other  girls  had 
been,  but  one  of  her  eyes  was  shrunken  in.  "  Alas  ! 
my  mother,"  said  he,  "  I  have  dropped  one  of  your 
eyes ;  but  never  mind,  you  can  comb  your  hair 
down  over  it  and  no  one  will  ever  know  the  differ 
ence." 

As  soon  as  they  were  rested  they  started  again, 
and  soon  came  to  where  the  elder  brother  stood 
awaiting  them.  When  he  looked  at  his  mother,  he 
saw  that  one  of  her  eyes  had  been  left. 

"  Did  n't  I  tell  you  beforehand  to  be  careful?" 
said  he.  "  Poor  mother  ;  you  have  lost  one  of  her 
eyes  ! " 

"  Well,  it  can't  be  helped  ;  never  mind,  she  can 
comb  her  hair  down  over  the  eye  that  is  dry  and  no 
one  will  ever  know  the  difference." 

"  That 's  so  ;  it  can't  be  helped.  Now  let 's  go," 
said  the  elder  brother,  and  they  all  started. 

When  they  arrived  at  the  Waters  of  the  Elks, 
the  younger  brother  said  :  "  Let 's  camp  here." 

"  No,  let 's  run  home,"  returned  the  elder  brother. 

"  No,  let  's  camp.     Our  poor  mother  will  get 


464  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

tired,  and,  besides,  she  can  see  nothing  of  the 
country  we  are  going  through." 

And  although  the  elder  brother  urged  that  they 
should  go  on,  the  younger  insisted  that  they  should 
stay ;  therefore  they  camped.  The  next  day  they 
continued  their  journey  until  they  came  near  to  the 
City  of  the  Heights,  not  far  from  their  own  home  ; 
and  as  they  journeyed,  the  deer,  the  antelope,  the 
elks,  and  the  mountain  sheep  were  everywhere. 

"  Just  look  at  that  buck  !  "  exclaimed  the  younger 
brother,  clutching  his  bow.  "  Let 's  shoot  him." 

"  No,  no  ! "  said  the  other ;  "  Do  you  not  remem 
ber  that  our  father  forbade  us  ? "  So  they  went 
on  until  they  came  to  some  trees,  and  as  it  was  noon 
day  they  sat  down  to  eat.  Now,  the  fine  game 
animals  circled  all  around  and  even  came  up  near 
enough  to  smell  them,  and  stood  gazing  or  cropping 
the  grass  within  a  few  steps  of  them. 

"  Just  look  at  that  splendid  antelope ! "  cried  the 
younger  brother,  and  he  nocked  an  arrow  quicker 
than  thought. 

"  No,  no,  no!"  cried  the  elder,  "  you  must  not 
shoot  it." 

"  Why  not  ?  Here  our  poor  mother  has  nothing 
but  corn-cakes  to  eat,  with  all  this  meat  around  us." 
And  before  his  brother  could  speak  another  word, 
he  drew  his  arrow  to  the  head,  and  tsi !  it  pierced 
the  heart  of  the  great  antelope  and  it  fell  dead. 

Now,  all  the  great  animals  round  about  grew 
angry  when  they  saw  this,  and  tene !  they  came 
thundering  after  the  little  party.  So  the  two  fools, 
forgetting  all  about  their  poor  mother,  jumped  up 


The  Maiden  and  the  Sun  465 

and  ran  away  as  fast  as  they  could  and  climbed  a 
big  tree  to  the  very  top.  When  they  straddled  a 
big  branch  and  looked  down,  the  great  deer  had 
trampled  their  poor  mother  to  death.  Then  they 
gathered  around  the  foot  of  the  tree  to  batter  its 
trunk  with  their  sharp  horns,  but  they  could  not 
stir  it.  Presently  some  big-horn  bucks  came  run 
ning  along.  Thle-ee-ta-a-a  !  they  banged  their  horns 
against  the  butt  of  the  tree  until  it  began  to  split 
and  tremble,  and  presently  bang  !  went  the  tree, 
and  the  boys  fell  to  the  ground.  Then  the  moun 
tain  sheep  and  the  great  bucks  trampled  and  tore 
and  speared  them  with  their  sharp  horns,  and  tossed 
them  from  one  to  another  and  lacerated  them  with 
their  hoofs  until  they  were  like  worn-out  clothing- 
all  torn  to  pieces  except  the  head  of  the  elder 
brother  which  none  of  them  would  touch.  And 
there  the  head  lay  all  through  the  winter ;  and  the 
next  spring  there  was  nothing  but  a  skull  left  of 
the  two  brothers. 

Now,  off  in  the  valley  that  led  to  Thunder  Moun 
tain,  just  where  it  turns  to  go  south,  stood  the  vil 
lage  of  K'yatik'ia,  and  down  in  the  bottom  of  the 
valley  the  great  priest-chief  of  K'ydtik'ia  had  his 
fields  of  corn  and  melons  and  squashes.  Summer 
came,  and  the  squashes  were  all  in  bloom,  when 
the  rain  poured  down  all  over  the  country  ;  and 
thus,  little  by  little,  the  skull  was  washed  until  it 
fell  into  a  stream  and  went  bumping  along  on  the 
waters  even  till  it  came  to  the  fields  of  corn  and 
pumpkins  and  melons  in  the  planting  of  the  priest- 
chief  of  K'yatik'ia. 


466  Zufii  Folk  Tales 

Now,  when  the  pumpkin  and  squash  vines  were 
in  bloom,  the  priest-chief's  daughter,  who  was  as 
beautiful  as  you  could  look  upon,  went  down  every 
morning  just  at  daylight  to  gather  squash-flowers 
with  which  to  sweeten  the  feast  bread.  The  morn 
ing  after  the  rain  had  passed  over,  very  early,  she 
said  to  her  younger  sister  :  "  Stay  here  and  grind 
meal  while  I  run  down  to  the  squash  patch  to  pick 
a  lot  of  flowers."  So  she  took  her  mantle  with  her 
and  started  for  the  fields.  She  had  not  been  pick 
ing  flowers  long  when  a  voice  rose  from  the  middle 
of  the  vines : 

"  A-te-ya-ye, 

A-te-ya-ye. 

E-lu-ya" 

Here  are  more  flowers, 
Here  are  more  flowers. 
Beautiful  ones. 

"  Ah  !"  said  the  girl,  "  I  wonder  what  that  is !" 
So  she  put  her  blanket  of  flowers  down  as  soon  as 
possible  and  started  to  hunt.  As  she  approached 
the  vine  where  the  skull  had  been  wont  to  lie,  lo  ! 
there  was  a  handsome  young  man ! 

"What  are  you  doing?"  asked  the  young  man. 

"  Gathering  flowers,"  said  she. 

"  If  you  will  promise  to  take  me  home  with  you, 
I  will  help  you,"  said  the  young  man. 

"  Very  well,"  replied  the  girl. 

"  Will  you  surely  do  it  ? "  inquired  the  young 
man. 

"  Yes,"  said  she,  and  lo  !  the  young  man  reached 
out  his  hand  and  there  was  a  great  heap  of  flowers 


The  Maiden  and  the  Sun  467 

already  plucked  before  him  !  And  while  they  were 
yet  talking,  the  Sun  rose ;  and  as  its  first  rays 
touched  him  he  began  to  sink,  until  there  before 
the  girl  was  nothing  but  a  hideous  old  skull. 

"  Oh,  dear  !  "  cried  she  ;  "  but  I  promised  to  take 
it,  and  I  suppose  I  must."  So  she  took  the  skull 
up  with  the  tips  of  her  fingers  and  put  it  into  the 
blanket  among  the  flowers,  and  started  for  home. 
Then  she  entered  an  inner  room  of  the  house,  and 
taking  the  skull  carefully  out  of  the  blanket,  placed 
some  cotton  in  a  large  new  water-jar,  and  laid  the 
skull  upon  it.  Then  she  covered  the  jar  with  a 
flat  stone  and  went  to  work  grinding  meal. 

When  the  Sun  was  setting,  a  voice  came  from  the 
jar. 

"  Take  me  down,  quick !  "  And  the  girl  took  the 
skull  down  and  placed  it  on  the  floor,  and  as  it  grew 
dark  there  stood  the  same  handsome  young  man  as 
before,  magnificently  clothed,  with  precious  stones 
and  shells  all  about  him,  just  as  the  Sun-father  had 
dressed  him.  And  the  girl  was  very  happy,  and 
told  him  she  would  marry  him. 

N'ext  morning,  just  as  the  Sun  rose,  the  young 
man  vanished,  and  nothing  but  the  old  white  skull 
lay  on  the  floor.  So  the  girl  placed  it  in  the  jar 
again,  and  taking  up  another  water-jar  went  out  to 
ward  the  spring.  Now,  her  younger  sister  went 
into  the  room  and  espied  the  jar.  "  I  wonder  what 
sister  has  covered  this  jar  up  so  carefully  for,"  said 
she  to  herself ;  and  she  stepped  up  to  the  jar  and 
took  the  lid  off. 

"Ati!"    cried   she.     "O    dear!    O    dear!"   she 


468  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

screamed.  For  when  she  looked  down  into  the  jar 
there  was  a  great  rattlesnake  coiled  up  over  the 
smooth  white  skull. 

So  she  ran  and  called  her  father  and  told  him  in 
great  fright  what  she  had  seen. 

"  Ah  ! "  said  the  father,  for  he  was  a  very  wise 
priest-chief,  "thou  shouldst  not  meddle  with  things. 
Thou  shouldst  keep  quiet,"  said  he.  He  then  arose 
and  went  into  the  room.  Then  he  approached  the 
jar,  and,  looking  down  into  it,  said  :  "  Have  mercy 
upon  us,  my  child,  my  father.  Become  as  thou  art. 
Disguise  not  thyself  in  hideous  forms,  but  as  thou 
hast  been,  be  thou."  And  the  skull  rattled  against 
the  sides  of  the  jar  in  assent. 

"  It  is  well  that  thou  shouldst  marry  my  daugh 
ter.  And  we  will  close  this  room  that  thou  shalt 
never  come  forth  " ;  and  again  the  skull  clattered 
and  nodded  in  glad  assent. 

So  when  the  young  girl  returned,  the  voice  came 
forth  from  the  jar  again,  and  said  :  "  Close  all  the 
windows  and  doors,  and  bring  me  raw  cotton  if  thy 
father  have  it,  for  he  has  consented  that  I  marry 
you  and  throw  off  my  disguise." 

Then  the  girl  gladly  assented,  and  ran  to  get  the 
cotton,  and  brought  a  great  quantity  in  the  room. 
Then  when  the  night  came  the  voice  called  once 
more  :  "  Take  me  down  ! "  The  girl  did  as  she 
was  bidden,  and  the  young  man  again  stood  before 
her,  more  handsome  than  ever.  So  he  married  the 
girl  and  both  were  very  happy. 

And  the  next  morning  when  the  Sun  rose  the 
young  man  did  not  again  change  his  form,  but  re- 


The  Maiden  and  the  Sun  469 

mained  as  he  was,  and  began  to  spin  cotton  marvel 
lously  fine  and  to  weave  blankets  and  mantles  of  the 
most  beautiful  texture,  for  in  nothing  could  he  fail, 
being  a  child  of  the  Sun-father  and  a  god  himself. 

So  the  days  and  weeks  passed  by,  and  the  Sun- 
father  looked  down  through  the  windows  in  sorrow 
and  said  :  "  Alas  !  my  son  ;  I  have  delivered  thee  and 
yet  thou  comest  not  to  speak  with  thy  father.  But 
thou  shalt  yet  come ;  yea,  verily,  thou  shalt  yet 
come." 

So  in  time  the  beautiful  daughter  of  the  priest- 
chief  gave  birth  to  two  boys,  like  the  children  of 
the  deer.  As  day  succeeded  day,  they  grew  larger 
and  wiser  and  their  limbs  strengthened  until  they 
could  run  about,  and  thus  it  happened  that  one  day 
in  their  play  they  climbed  up  and  played  upon  the 
house-top  and  on  the  ground  below.  Thus  it  was 
that  the  people  of  K'yatik'ia  saw  for  the  first  time 
the  two  little  children  ;  and  when  they  saw  them 
they  wondered  greatly.  Of  course  they  wondered 
greatly.  Our  grandfathers  were  fools. 

"  Who  in  the  world  has  married  the  priest-chief's 
daughter?"  everybody  asked  of  one  another.  No 
body  knew  ;  so  they  called  a  council  and  made  all 
the  young  men  go  to  it,  and  they  asked  each  one 
if  he  had  secretly  married  the  priest-chiefs  daugh 
ter  ;  and  every  one  of  them  said  "  No,"  and  looked 
at  every  other  one  in  great  wonder. 

"  Who  in  the  world  can  it  be?  It  may  be  that 
some  stranger  has  come  and  married  her,  and  it 
may  be  that  he  stays  there."  So  the  council  de 
cided  that  it  would  be  well  for  him  and  the  girl  and 


470  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

their  two  little  ones  to  die,  because  they  had  de 
ceived  their  people.  Forthwith  two  war-priests 
mounted  the  house-tops  and  commanded  the  people 
to  make  haste  and  to  prepare  their  weapons. 
"  Straighten  your  arrows,  strengthen  the  backs  of 
your  bows,  put  new  points  on  your  lances,  harden 
your  shields,  and  get  ready  for  battle,  for  in  four 
days  the  daughter  and  grandchildren  of  the  priest- 
chief  and  the  unknown  husband  must  die  ! " 

And  when  the  priest-chiefs  daughter  heard  the 
voices  of  the  heralds,  she  asked  her  younger  sister, 
who  had  been  listening,  what  they  said.  And  the 
younger  sister  exclaimed  :  "  Alas !  you  must  all 
die  ! "  and  then  she  told  her  what  she  had  heard. 

Now,  the  young  man  called  the  old  priest  and 
told  him  that  he  knew  what  would  happen,  and  the 
old  priest  said :  "  It  is  well ;  let  the  will  of  the  gods 
be  done.  My  people  know  not  the  way  of  good 
fortune,  but  are  fools  and  must  have  their  way." 

Therefore  for  two  days  the  people  labored  at 
their  weapons,  and  on  the  morning  of  the  third 
day  they  began  to  prepare  for  a  feast  of  victory. 
Then  said  the  young  man  to  his  wife  :  "  My  little 
mother,  dearly  beloved,  on  the  morrow  I  must  go 
forth  to  meet  my  father  "  ;  for  he  suddenly  remem 
bered  that  he  had  neglected  his  father. 

When  the  Sun  had  nearly  reached  the  mid- 
heavens,  the  young  man  said  to  his  wife  :  "  Go  up 
and  open  the  sky-hole.  Farewell ! "  said  he,  and  he 
suddenly  became  a  cloud  of  mist  which  whirled 
round  and  round  and  shot  up  like  a  whirlwind  in 
the  rays  of  sunlight. 


The  Maiden  and  the  Sun  471 

When  he  neared  the  Sun,  the  Sun-father  said 
nothing,  and  the  young  man  waited  outside  in 
shame.  Then  said  the  Sun-father  in  pretended 
anger :  "  Come  hither  and  sit  down.  Thou  hast 
been  a  fool.  Did  I  not  command  thee  and  thy 
brother  ?  "  And  the  young  man  only  bent  his  head 
and  said  :  "  It  is  too  true." 

Then  the  Sun-father  smiled  gently,  and  said : 
"  Think  not,  neither  be  sad,  my  child.  I  know 
wherefore  thou  comest,  and  I  remember  how  thou 
didst  try  to  prevail  upon  thy  younger  brother  to 
obey  my  commandments  ;  and  that  it  might  be  well 
I  caused  thee  to  forget  me,  and  to  come  unto  the 
past  that  thou  hast  come  unto.  Thou  shalt  be  a 
god,  and  shalt  sit  at  my  left  hand.  Forever  and 
ever  shalt  thou  be  a  living  good  unto  men,  who 
will  see  thee  and  worship  thee  in  the  evening.  And 
through  thy  will  shall  rain  fall  upon  their  lands. 
True,  I  had  designed,  had  my  children  been  wiser, 
that  thou  shouldst  remain  with  them  and  enrich 
them  with  thy  precious  shells  and  stones,  with  thy 
great  knowledge  and  good  fortune.  But  those  are 
men  very  unwise  and  ungrateful,  therefore  shalt 
thou  and  thy  children,  and  even  thy  wife,  be  won 
from  thy  earth-life  and  sit  by  my  left  hand.  De 
scend.  Make  four  sacred  hoops  and  entwine  them 
with  cotton.  Make  four  sacred  wands,  such  as  are 
used  in  the  races.  Hast  thou  an  unembroidered 
cotton  mantle  ?  " 

"  I  have,"  replied  the  young  man. 

"  It  is  well.  This  evening  spread  it  out  and  place 
at  each  of  its  four  corners  one  of  the  sacred  hoops 


472  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

and  wands.  Place  all  thereon  that  thou  valuest 
Leave  not  a  precious  stone  nor  yet  a  shell  to  serve 
as  parentage  for  others,  but  place  all  thereon.  The 
people  will  gather  around  thy  father's  house  and 
storm  it,  and  then  retire  and  storm  it  again.  Now, 
when  the  people  approach  the  house,  sit  ye  down, 
one  at  each  of  the  four  corners  ;  grasp  them  and  lift 
them  upward,  and  gradually  ye  will  be  raised.  Then 
when  the  people  approach  nearer,  lift  them  upward 
once  more,  and  ye  will  be  raised  yet  farther.  And 
when  they  begin  to  mount  the  ladders,  lift  ye  again, 
and  yet  again,  and  ye  shall  come  unto  my  country." 

So  the  young  man  descended.  No  change  was 
visible  in  the  old  priest-chiefs  countenance.  He 
had  caused  gay  preparations  to  go  forward  for  the 
festival,  for  a  priest  knows  that  all  things  are  well, 
and  he  makes  no  change  in  his  mind  or  actions. 
And  when  he  asked  the  young  man  what  the  Sun- 
father  had  said  to  him,  the  only  reply  was  :  "  It  shall 
be  well.  Tomorrow  we  go  to  dwell  forever  at  the 
home  of  the  Sun-father." 

Early  in  the  morning  the  two  Priests  of  War 
mounted  to  the  house-tops  and  called  out :  "  Hasten, 
hasten !  For  the  time  has  come  and  the  people 
must  gather,  each  carrying  his  weapons,  for  today 
the  children  of  our  priest-chief  must  die  ! " 

So,  after  the  morning  meal,  all  gathered  at  the 
council  chambers  of  the  warriors,  and  a  great  com 
pany  they  were.  The  Sun  had  risen  high.  Brightly 
painted  shields  glittered  in  his  light.  Long  lances 
stood  black  with  paint  like  the  charred  trunks  of  a 
burned  forest ;  and  the  people  raised  their  war-clubs 


The  Maiden  and  the  Sun  473 

and  struck  them  against  one  another  until  the  din 
was  like  thunder. 

"  Ho-o-o  !  "  sounded  the  clash  of  weapons  and  the 
war-cries  of  the  people,  and  in  the  home  of  the 
priest-chief  they  knew  they  were  coming.  All  night 
long  they  had  been  preparing ;  the  young  man  had 
placed  all  their  belongings  upon  the  blanket,  and 
now  one  by  one  they  sat  down.  The  wife  and  the 
husband  grasped  two  corners,  the  children  grasping 
the  two  others.  They  lifted  them  and  slowly  arose 
toward  the  ceiling.  Once  more,  as  the  people  came 
nearer,  they  lifted  the  corners  and  neared  the  sky- 
hole.  When  again  they  lifted  the  corners,  they 
passed  above  the  roof,  and  the  people  saw  their 
shadows  cast  upon  the  ground. 

"  Quick,  quick  !  "  shouted  the  young  men.  "  See 
the  shadow ;  they  are  escaping  !  " 

Already  the  arrows  began  to  whistle  past  them,  but 
the  Sun  cast  his  shield  beneath  them,  and  the  arrows 
only  glanced  away  or  flew  past.  Once  more  they 
drew  the  corners  of  the  mantle  upward,  and  as  they 
rose  higher  and  higher,  the  people,  old  and  young, 
begari  to  quarrel  and  fell  to  beating  one  another,  and 
to  fighting  among  themselves.  The  old  ones  called 
the  young  ones  fools  for  attempting  the  life  of  a  god, 
and  the  young  ones  in  turn  called  the  old  ones  fools 
for  counselling  them  to  attempt  the  life  of  a  god. 

"  Thus  shall  ye  ever  be,"  cried  the  young  man, 
"for. ye  are  fools!  Your  father,  the  Sun,  had  in 
tended  all  things  for  your  good,  but  ye  were  fools ; 
therefore  with  me  and  mine  will  pass  away  your 
peace  and  your  treasures." 


474  Zuni  Folk  Tales 

My  children,  at  sunset  have  you  not  seen  the 
little  blue  twinkling  stars  that  sit  at  the  left  hand 
of  the  Sun  as  he  sinks  into  night  ?  Thus  did  it 
come  to  pass  in  the  days  of  the  ancients,  and  thus 
it  is  that  only  in  the  east  and  the  west  where  the 
Sun  rises  and  sets,  even  on  the  borders  of  the  great 
oceans,  may  we  find  the  jewels  whereby  we  decorate 
our  persons.  And  ever  since  then,  my  children,  the 
world  has  been  filled  with  anger,  and  even  brothers 
agree,  then  disagree,  strike  one  another,  and  spill 
their  own  blood  in  foolish  anger. 

Perhaps  had  men  been  more  grateful  and  wiser, 
the  Sun-father  had  smiled  and  dropped  everywhere 
the  treasures  we  long  for,  and  not  hidden  them 
deep  in  the  earth  and  buried  them  in  the  shores  of 
the  sea.  And  perhaps,  moreover,  all  men  would 
have  smiled  upon  one  another  and  never  enlarged 
their  voices  nor  strengthened  their  arms  in  anger 
toward  one  another. 

Thus  short  is  my  story ;  and  may  the  corn-stalks 
grow  as  long  as  my  stretches,  and  may  the  will  of 
the  Holder  of  the  Roads  of  Life  shelter  me  from 
dangers  as  he  sheltered  his  children  in  the  days  of 
the  ancients  with  the  shield  of  his  sunlight. 

It  is  all  finished.     (Tenk'za.) 


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